That Is How Long I Have Loved You
by fiona1987
Summary: It started in Toccoa.... Photography was her passion, Nursing was her sister's. Such different careers but for both girls one things reamined the same...him. It was always him.
1. Chapter 1

**That Is How Long I Have Loved You- Chapter 1**

* * *

"Don't care about all the pain in front of me

Because I'm just tryin' to be happy." -Leona Lewis, "Happy"

_**August 1947**_

They said that it would be a good summer that year, weather-wise I mean. They were right. That day just so happened to be the warmest and sunniest day of the year. April didn't notice it, to be honest. She didn't notice the light streaming through the high, stained glass windows of the church, casting a rainbow of colours across the wooden floor. She didn't even notice the birds chirping outside, as though they were singing in time with the gentle organ music lulling in the background. She didn't notice those birds, only the ones fluttering around in her stomach, so nervous was she. She had to clasp her hands together in front of her to stop them visibly jittering. Her eyes darted anxiously around at all of the jovial guests chatting animatedly amongst themselves, happy for an occasion to break out their formalwear. They eventually rested their gaze onto the groom standing at the altar. Her heart skipped a beat. He looked just the way a groom should look: hair perfectly gelled to one side, a tuxedo with a slightly over-starched shirt collar and a smile that managed to convey elation, excitement and the faintest hint of nervousness all at once. _Come on, you can do this_, April thought to herself, _you can do this_. Suddenly the organ music grew louder as the Wedding March became audible throughout the room. As everyone shuffled to their feet, she couldn't help but lament on the events which had brought her to that day…

………………………………………….

_**August 20**__**th**__**, 1942**_- _**Toccoa, Georgia**_

Knapsack slung over her shoulder, 19-year-old April White pushed her way through the door into the central office of the Toccoa Enquirer local newspaper. She bent over, panting slightly.

"Run here, did ya?" Marcy, the blonde assistant to the Editor, said from behind her desk, peering over at April with an arched eyebrow.

"Just from…a couple…streets away," She made out between breaths.

"You look like you've run through a hedge backwards," The assistant joked, a devilish smile on her lips.

"Thanks…thanks very much. Geez, such a shame that Hank's got you in working on a Saturday, Marcy," She rolled her eyes, making her way to the Editor's office door. She motioned to it. "Is he in?"

"Yes…and waiting for you," Marcy called over her shoulder. "You're late."

"_Damn_," She whispered to herself, knocking sharply on the door and going inside.

Hank, the Editor-in-Chief of the Toccoa Enquirer stood at the side of his desk, perusing a sample of the latest front cover. He looked up as she came in. "Oh, there you are."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," She shook her head apologetically at him. "It took me a little longer to develop them than I thought."

"You used that excuse already," He winked at her, his aging face creasing lightly as he did so. "Got them with you?"

"Of course," She reached into her knapsack, pulling out her recently developed photographs. "There you go."

He took them from her, putting on his specs to study them. After a minute or so he made a hmmm noise, nodding. "Not bad, not bad…except for this one."

"What?" She raised her eyebrows, taking it back off of him. "Why? What's wrong with it?"

"In the background," He showed her. "I'm pretty sure that's Mrs Tomlinson from the library kissing someone who isn't Mr Tomlinson."

"Son of a gun," She peered closer. "So it is!"

He put a finger to his lips. "Discretion, April. Discretion."

"My lips are sealed," She made a _locking and throwing away the key_ motion against her mouth before clearing her throat in anticipation. "So…do you think you'll use any of 'em."

"Well I need to give them to Marv in Photography for his professional opinion, but I like this one…you've got a shot with this one," he explained.

"Yes!" She pumped a fist in the air, momentarily forgetting that she should be maintaining an air of professionalism.

He laughed at her. "No promises, though."

"I know, I know," She said, catching a glimpse of the clock on his wall. "Shoot, I have to go. My shift starts at the diner in ten minutes."

"The diner, the diner, the diner," He rolled his eyes. "Need I remind you that your summer internship is _here_."

"Then make it a _paid_ internship, Hank, and I will stay here" She joked, closing her knapsack over. "…otherwise I need to keep working at the diner…my new camera won't pay for itself!"

"Then you'd better go," He chuckled.

"See you Monday, Hank,"

…………………………..

April rushed into Mimi's diner, throwing her knapsack behind the counter and quickly throwing on her apron. She quickly swept her dark blonde curls up into a chignon. She positioned herself just behind the counter exactly as the clock struck 4 p.m. Ruthie, her best friend and co-worker, shimmied up by the counter, a heaped tray of empty glasses in her hands.

"Just made it," Ruthie winked at her. "Good thing Mimi is in the back doing her paperwork."

"If she asks I got here five minutes ago," April whispered, a finger to her lips.

"You're just in time for _the rush_," Ruthie joked, motioning to the packed diner behind them, full of khaki-clad soldiers and the young ladies of the town. Saturdays had always been a busy day for the diner, but even more so since the army training camp had opened a few miles west of Toccoa. The soldiers only had passes to get out on weekends, and the diners were usually their first port of call, to get a half-decent meal and a date if there was one going (which, judging by the amount of Khaki-Whackies packed into every available nook of the diner…it was!). It had become something of a ritual for Ruthie and April to wager on which girls would be the first to snare a soldier each weekend.

"So…verdict?" April asked, cocking her head to one side.

"You owe me a dime…," Ruthie stuck her tongue out, flicking her head towards a red-lipped girl with a black bouffant of hair. "It was Bernice."

"Damn it," She tutted, loudly, causing the brown-hair, chiselled soldier seated at the edge of the counter to look up from his book. She offered him a timid smile, blushing.

"You're going to talk to him today," Ruthie ordered to her in a whisper, grabbing two cheeseburgers from the hatch into the kitchen. "I'm not watching you moon over him for one more Saturday."

"No, I'm not," She replied, watching Ruthie walk out into the main floor of the diner with the burgers.

"Not what?" A voice called out from the other side of the counter.

Snapping back to reality, April looked over at the muscly, dark-haired soldier puffing away on a cigarette in front of her and looking every little bit as cocky as he had done when he first sat himself down at the counter in front of her some week previously. "Sorry, Bill, I was miles away. It's nothin'"

"I could tell," He smiled, flicking the ash on his cigarette. "A little service here?"

"Hey, what'd I tell you last week?" She said, jerking her head towards the sign on the wall behind her. "No smoking at the counter…put that thing out!"

"Geez, alright, alright," He rolled his eyes, stubbing out his cigarette against the formica. "You could have a future over at Toccoa, barking out orders like that."

"Well, rules are rules," She said simply, smiling as she shrugged her shoulders. "Now, what can I get you?"

"Burger…and a beer" He winked at her.

"Burger and a coke it is," She said, shaking her head amusedly at him. "Nice try, Bill…you know the liquor cabinet stays locked until 7.30 p.m."

"A guy can only try, right?" He reasoned, swivelling round in his stool to look out into the packed diner. "So come on April, any friends I might like in here today?"

"Well," April cocked her head to one side, indicating towards the furthest away window, where a girl sat with blonde, Heidi-esque, plaited hair. "That's Debbie. She works in the grocery store. She was in the year above me in high school…little slow on the uptake I s'pose, but a nice girl. You'd probably like her, Bill."

"Thanks," He said, winking at her and picking up his coke. Sliding a hand up to fix his hair, he moseyed over towards the blonde. "Just bring that burger over when it's ready, okay?"

"Talked to him yet?" Ruthie asked, walking back over, adding a little too loudly. "He's right over there, y'know."

"I _had_ noticed…and keep your damn voice down!" She replied, blushing slightly as her eyes darted to the side of the bar. She looked at the brown haired soldier with the at the side of the bar, his nose stuck in a book and a coffee cup just by his hand. He sat in the same chair every Saturday with a different book, drinking cup after cup of coffee. He seemed to be a man of few words, certainly he'd never spoken to April except to ask her for a cup of coffee. She couldn't help but find him attractive though, the man who had more interest in his books than the local girls. Maybe it was the challenge element she liked.

"Well, no time like the present, right?" Ruthie ordered, nudging her in the ribs and pointing to him again.

"Yes, I will talk to him…but not today," She replied, butterflies in her stomach.

"Don't be such a yellow belly," Ruthie rolled her eyes, passing her the pot of coffee. "At least ask him if he wants a refill and take it from there "

Ruthie made her way back out into the diner to pick up empty plates. April looked at him, biting her lip nervously. She ambled over to him, putting a smile on her face. "Refill?"

He looked up, disturbed from his reading. He blinked, giving her a polite smile. "I'm sorry, I was miles away. What did you say?"

"Can I get you a refill?" She repeated.

"Oh," He said, peering at his coffee cup, probably not even knowing it was empty. "Yes, yes please."

She began to refill his cup, deciding to seize the opportunity. "What, um…what are you reading there?"

He tilted the cover up to show her.

She smiled approvingly. "Good choice."

"You've read it?" He asked, holding out a hand to show that she'd filled his cup up enough.

"Oh, well not really," She said, blushing. "My sister, though, she's the real reader in the family. It's her favourite."

"Your sister had good taste, then," He said, smiling slightly. "Not into books yourself?" 

"I _do_ read sometimes, just not as much as she does," She explained. "Photography is my real passion. That's why I work here. Every spare penny goes towards my camera."

"Gonna make a career out of it?" He asked.

"I wish," She gave a slight smile. "I don't see it happenin' though. I'm doing an unpaid internship at the local newspaper over the summer though."

"Unpaid? Ouch. Is your sister the other girl who works here?" He asked, indicating towards Ruthie.

"Oh, no, that's Ruthie," She corrected him. "My sister is in New York for the summer, working as a governess."

"Oh really?" he raised his eyes, interested. "I'm from New York."

"You are?" She asked, her turn to raise her own eyes. "I love New York. Well, I've never actually been, but I can't wait to go there."

"Got a trip planned?" He asked, curious.

"My sister and I are starting at Sarah Lawrence in the fall," She expained.

"That's a good school," He nodded approvingly. "What are you going there to study?"

"Me? History and Politics," She said, biting her lip. "But Amy, my sister, is reading literature."

"I study literature," He noted.

"You're a student?" She asked, frowning.

"I was…before all this," He rolled his eyes. "…at Harvard."

"Impressive,"

"Yeah," His eyes twinkled. A small lull settled over the conversation so he stood up, dog-earing the page he was at in his book before gently close it. "Well, I should really get going. I have a few things to pick up before heading back. It was nice to meet you though again…."

"April…April White,"

"Nice to meet you, April White," He smiled, nodding his head slightly. "David, David Webster." 

"David Webster," She echoed under her breath as she watched him walk out of the diner.

………………………………

_**September 3**__**rd**__**, 1942- Georgia, Toccoa**_

Enjoying a rare Saturday off, April sat at home, fiddling with the dials on her camera in the family kitchen. A flash of light exploded as she accidentally hit the wrong button.

"Damn it," She said, taking out the pointless print.

"Mom! April cursed!" Her 12-year-old brother, Steven, cried out, appearing from behind her as if from nowhere.

She jumped slightly at his sudden appearance, tutting and giving him a gentle shove. "Shut up!"

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that," Her mother tutted, walking into the kitchen with a handful of post.

"Hear what?" April smiled at her innocently.

"Mmm," Her mother raised her eyebrows as she poured herself a cup of coffee. "There's a letter from April on the counter."

"I'll read it in a minute," April said, her full attention on the camera.

"In a minute, in a minute," Her mother smiled fondly, knowing that April would pour over the letter later, such was the twin bond that her two girls shared. "What are you doing with your day then?"

"I'll head down to the diner later on tonight," She said absent-mindedly, polishing the shiny steel gently with a cloth.

"What?" Her mother raised her eyebrows in surprise. "It's your day off."

"Crazy," Steven muttered under his breath, sitting down opposite her and shaking his head.

"Yes, but my friends will be there," She replied, not looking her in the eye.

"And those soldiers, no doubt," Her mother said pointedly.

"They're nice, respectable young men, for the most part," She argued, pointing to her camera. "Besides, it makes for good subject matter."

"Are you allowed to take pictures of soldiers?"

"No one's stopped me yet," She smiled, winking at her. "Will you curl my hair for tonight?"

"Trying to impress anyone in particular?" Her mother asked.

"No," She shook her head. "Have you been asking Aunt Mimi to keep an eye on me? She keeps looking at me in the diner."

"No, darling," Her mother said innocently, a glint in her eye. "Would I?"

…………………………….

That night, April made her way to the packed diner, hearing the sounds of Glen Miller straining out long before it was even in her line of sight. The atmosphere was smokier and headier than during the day, such was the power of an evening liquor license. She pushed her way through the crowd, looking for Ruthie, spotting her sitting at a booth with some of their other friends and Bill Guarnere, amongst some other khaki-clad soldiers who were standing around the booth.

She leaned over the wooden bar at the top of the booth. "Evening, everybody."

"Hey, look who it is?" Bill said, swivelling round to look at her. "Make mine a Cheeseburger, eh?"

"Sorry, Bill. It's my night off," She shook her head, taking a seat on the edge of the booth. "I see you found Ruthie."

"Pfft, Ruthie found us," A soldier piped up from the other side of Bill.

"Lies," Ruthie shook her head. "I was just sittin' here with Jennifer mindin' our own business when these khakis showed up."

"Oh yeah? And who are your friends here, Bill?" She asked.

"This is Luz, Malarkey, Joe and Liebgott," He said, rhyming them off.

"Nice to meet you, fellas," She smiled, her eye catching a glimpse of David Webster sitting in his usual corner, the coffee substituted for a Scotch on the rocks. "What do you know about that guy, Bill?"

Bill swivelled round to look at him. "Web? He's a man of the company. Bit of a brain."

"Sits in that seat every Saturday," Ruthie told them.

"He's a good man," Bill nodded, looking at April. "Why? You sweet on him?"

"Course not, just surprising to see a soldier who isn't such a meathead like the rest'a you guys," She teased, ignoring a jab from Ruthie in the ribs as she hoisted her camera gently onto the table. "This is my only passion in life."

"Don't we just know it," Ruthie rolled her eyes, digging her friend again in the ribs.

Luz blinked. "Look at the size of that thing!"

"Alright, alright," She blushed. "It's not the latest model, but it's not the size of the equipment, it's how you use it."

"You hear that, Lieb?" Bill joked. "too bad, huh?"

She rolled her eyes, blushing slightly at the crass joke. "Besides, I'll have enough for a newer one, soon…after I've pulled a few more shifts in this place."

"Take a picture of all of us," Ruthie chirped.

"Yeah, yeah alright," April said, motioning for them to all move in closer. She took a picture. "Well at least smile, George, wont ya?"

"I am, smilin'!"

_Click. Flash._

"Ok," She said, sitting back down. "Who wants to buy me a drink for that photo?"

She received a few pointed looks.

"I'm trying to buy a new camera," She shrugged innocently. "I'm saving all my money!"

"Alright, alright," Bill said, standing up. "Whaddya want?"

………………………….

One disgusting whiskey later and April was feeling a little looser, a little more liberated. To her amazement, she found it had quite an effect on her and she found herself floating around the diner taking photos of the soldiers in relaxation with each other and the locals. Even through her slight tipsiness she knew it would make for great material. Maybe she could convince Hank to do a feature on it. In her haze she found herself staring at David Webster once again. Through her artistic eye he looked visually stunning, his body slumped slightly over the formica as he pored over the pages in his book, one hand lightly gripping his glass. Without thinking, she aimed the camera at him and…clicking…sent a flash of light in his direction. He looked over at, his eyes wide in surprise. "What the hell?"

"I…I'm sorry," She said, lowering the camera and feeling rooted to the spot. "I was just taking a few photographs…since there's such a good atmosphere in here tonight."

"That's okay," he held up a hand, dismissively. "You just startled me, that's all."

"Well," She said, taking a step forward. "To capture life in it's most natural state you have to catch it unawares."

"I should be on my guard then?" He asked, chuckling lightly. "You really do like photography, don't you?"

"Only a little," She rolled her eyes.

He snapped his book shut, sitting up straight in his stool. "Got anything you can show me?"

She put an eager hand to her knapsack but stopped herself, groaning. "Would it look really pathetic if I said I happened to have a portfolio in here."

He couldn't help but laugh. "I'd call it prepared. Can I see?"

"Um…sure," She said, tentatively taking a seat in the empty stool next to him. She pulled the thinly-bound album out of her knapsack and spread it out on the counter in front of them.

He nodded in approval as she began to flick through the pages.

She tried to explain as many of the photographs as she could. "This is some of the grassland on the outskirts of Toccoa…near where your training camp is actually. This is a Shovelling Steve…"

Webster grimaced as he looked at the picture of the homeless old man wielding a shovel. "What the…?"

She laughed. "You haven't seen him around town? The man's practically an institution here. He swears there's treasure buried around the town, so he keeps trying to dig it up…no matter how much the police try to stop him!"

He burst out laughing, looking over at her animatedly and catching her eye. She blushed, looking back at the album. "Um...and this one is outside of my house…and this one is my sister and I…."

"Wow, who is who?" He joked, looking at the picture of the beaming twins.

"Everyone says that at first, but you can easily tell us apart," She pointed to Amy's hair. "She has darker hair."

He nodded, pointing to a photograph of an elderly couple sitting on a park bench. "Who are they?"

And that's how she spent the rest of the evening, showing him her photos. Occasionally when she turned a page her hand would gaze his ever so gently, sending a jolt of electricity through her body. It was the most exhilarated she'd ever felt. Up until that point, anyway…


	2. Chapter 2 Saturday Night at the Movies

**That is How Long I Have Loved You- Chapter 2**

* * *

**Hello! Welcome to a new story! This one has been cooking away in my head for some time now, just waiting to be served up. I have to start by apologising. I was far too keen to get the first chapter posted that I forgot to write a little author's note at the top. So voilà, here it is : ).**

I had actually intended to start this story in Aldbourne and have the two sisters being a teacher and a Land Girl with whom Webster was quartered. I had a little change of heart though whilst watching the "Currahee" episode again. I suddenly thought "Why not start the story right back at the beginning in Toccoa?". I think I almost set myself up for a fall though as it turns out they weren't actually in Toccoa for as long as I thought they were, so I'll have to move this story on at a brisk pace. 

**Anyway, I hope that you enjoy. Please feel free to review any aspect and any level of contentment/discontentment. Thank you so much to those of you who reviewed Chapter 1. **

**Anyway, I'll stop yapping now. On with the story…**

…………………………………….

_**September 9**__**th, **__**1942- Toccoa, Georgia**_

"I…I can't believe this," April stuttere, her heavy legs causing her to sink down into the plush leather seat behind her. "That's really my…my…."

"That's your name right there in the corner in small print," Hank said, arms folded, staring at her in amazement. "Stand up, April, it's not that big an issue. We shrunk it to half the size."

"Almost three times," Marv, Head of the Photography department.

"Don't ruin this for me," She shook her head at both of them. "That's _my_ picture, a picture I took…in the newspaper!"

"Congratulations," Marv nodded, her elation making him think back to his early days as an intern.

"Can I keep this?" She asked, trying her luck. "I know the paper doesn't come out until Monday, but…"

"Sure," Hank nodded, sitting back down behind his desk. "Just don't pass it around too much."

"Thanks, Hank," She said, folding it and carefully placing it into her bag. "She pulled some proofs out of her bag and handed them to Marv. "Okay, it is officially 4.30 p.m. on Friday and I am bushed. I'm gonna get on home but, Marv, can you take a look at these photos for me and let me know what you think?"

"Sure," He said, taking the envelope from her. "What are they of?"

"Just some I took at the diner the other weekend," She explained. "A couple of the new soldiers from the training camp. I mean, not for the paper or anything, just for my personal portfolio."

"Sure," Marv nodded. "I'll give 'em a look."

"Have a good weekend, you two."

………………………..

Excited, April near sprinted back home to show her parents the paper, hoping that they'd be so proud of her. She arrived back to an empty house, however, and a note. _April, we've gone to the Hudsons for an early supper. Won't be late. There's a letter on the sideboard for you from your sister. Mom_.

Sighing, she put the note into the trash and poured herself a glass of juice. Kicking off her shoes, she curled up into a chair in the living room, ready to pour over her sister's latest letter. As she began to rip into the envelope, she wondered why Amy was writing to her and her alone. Normally she addressed her correspondence to the whole family. She pulled out the letter.

_April,_

_  
First things first, whatever you do…don't let anyone else read this letter! I don't care if you have to burn it, bin it or, hell, eat it, but __no one else sees this_. _I'm having a fabulous time, like I've been saying in all of my letters so far, but I'm coming home in a couple of weeks. I know I'm supposed to be here until October but something has come up. It's nothing to worry about and it's actually quite exciting. I just wanted to let you know so that you could defend me when I turn up on the doorstep. I'll explain everything to everyone when I get back, I promise. _

_I can't wait to see you. We have so much to talk about. _

_Amy _

April bit her lip apprehensively, before tearing the letter up into tiny, little shreds, just like her sister had asked.

………………………………..

_**September 10**__**th**__**, 1942- Toccoa, Georgia**_

April sashayed into the diner for her shift at 4 p.m., contorting herself past all of the khaki-clad bodies to make her way to the counter. As she approached, she could see Ruthie wiping the counter, her cheeks red from exasperation and a tendril of her falling down one side of her cheek. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw April. "Boy, am I glad to see you?"

"Busy today, huh?" April flashed her an amused grin as she took her apron from its hook and fastened it behind her neck.

"You have no idea," Ruthie rolled her eyes. "I don't know what they've been makin these fellas do at that camp all week, but they're eatin' the burgers today like they're going outta fashion!"

"I'd better get to work then," She smiled, reaching into her bag and pulling out the newspaper. "But first things first, take a look at this."

Ruthie squinted as she looked at the paper being shoved in her face. "What? What am I looking at?"

She sighed and pointed out the photo. "This one here! That's mine! I took the photo and they've used it!"

Ruthie's face lit up. She threw the towel down onto the counter and pulled her friend into a hug. "April! I am _so _proud of you!"

"Thank you," She smiled.

Ruthie pulled back, picking up the paper and looking at it again. "This is fantastic! Although, geez, look how tiny they've made it! Still, this is fantastic! We should celebrate after we get off tonight!"

"Celebrate what?" Bill's voice boomed out from the other side of the counter as she sat down. His voice caught to attention of Webster, sitting nearby with a book as usual. "Alright, Web?"

"Bill," he nodded back.

April shrugged involuntarily. "It's nothin'."

"Whaddya mean it's nothin?" Ruthie swiped the paper from her hands and slapped it down on the counter in front of Bill. She motioned back towards April. "She took this and they've printed it up in the paper."

Bill squinted at it, looking back up. "Well look at you! Guess you really are a photographer, huh?"

She shrugged nonchalantly, picking up a cloth and wiping at the counter.

Webster leaned over to have a look. He smiled at her. "Congratulations. That's really well done."

"Thanks, David," She said, looking away.

"So, this is what you're celebratin' tonight, then?"

"We hadn't made plans or anything," April shook her head.

"Well, we have to do somethin', April," Ruthie nudged her in the ribs, a playful, knowing glint in her eye. "We could all go and see a movie or something like that. Whaddya think?" 

"That an invitation?" Bill winked at her from behind the desk.

"Of course," Ruthie nodded, leaning her elbows on the desk and resting her head on her hands as she looked at him, a charming smile plastered on her lips. She motioned towards one of the soldiers standing a few feet away. "As long as you invite some of your friends…including that one."

Bill craned his neck round to see who she was looking at. "Perconte?"

Webster arched an eyebrow and couldn't stop himself from blurting out. "…really?"

"What can I say?" Ruthie shrugged her shoulders playfully. "I like 'em a little small."

April clapped a hand to her forehead in embarrassment. She couldn't believe her friends unabashed honesty. "Geez, Ruthie…"

"What?!" Ruthie turned round. "Honesty is the best policy."

"Yeah…sometimes," Bill grimaced at her as though he had a bad taste in his mouth, shifting awkwardly in his chair. "Uh, alright, I'll ask a couple of the guys. Whaddya say, Web?"

"The movies?" Webster bit his lip, pondering.

"Yeah," April suddenly found herself piping up. "Why don't you come?"

"Oh, well…sure," He nodded, smiling at her before picking his book up again.

Ruthie nudged her again in the ribs, a playful smile on her lips.

"What time do you ladies get off?" Bill asked.

"Just before 8," Ruthie answered. "We'll get you outside the movie theatre at 8. Do you know where that is?"

"No,"

"I'm sure they'll find it," April shrugged her shoulder. "Main Street isn't that long." 

"Yeah we'll find it," Bill said, swivelling his chair as he walked off to talk to Perconte.

April pulled Ruthie to one side. "We get off at 7."

"Yeah, but the movie doesn't show til 8…and I need time to get ready! I'm not going to the movies fresh outta this place," Ruthie laughed slightly, frowning at her reflection in the mirrors. "Greasy Spoon chic or what?"

April smiled weakly, her eyes drifting back over to Websters'. He looked up slightly at that moment, their eyes catching for the briefest of moments before he looked back down into his book. She turned her back on him, pretending to put dishes into the sink. She whispered to herself. "Oh my…."

……………………………

"I miss Amy," Ruthie joked, rifling through the clothes in the twins' share wardrobe. "At least she's not afraid of a little colour. Do you own anything that isn't a pastel colour?"

"I'm demure, what can I say?" April replied from her position sprawled out on her bed rifling through photos.

"Demure? That's one word for it," Ruthie winked at her, smiling. "Did Amy take all of her clothes with her to New York?"

She shook her head, pointing to a trunk at the bottom of the wardrobe. "Mom vetted everything she wanted to pack, and everything she couldn't get away with is in there."

"Perfect," Ruthie clapped her hands together excitedly, rifling through the contents.

_Knock Knock Knock. _Three sharp blasts sounded on the wooden door.

"Come in," April called out, looking up as her mother walked in. "Hi, Mom."

"Hi, Mrs White," Ruthie called out, holding dresses up to her frame in front of the mirror.

"Hi, girls," her mom walked into the room, eyeing them. "What do you two have planned tonight?"

"Uh…," April frowned slightly, shooting a "you can answer this one" glance at Ruthie.

"We're just off to the movies, Mrs White," Ruthie explained. "…just with some of the girls."

"Mmm hmmm," Mrs White eyed them suspiciously, looking from Ruthie trying out dresses back to her daughter, who'd let her curls hang loose and whose lips carried the faintest signs of lipstick. "Little dressed up for a night out with the girls, aren't you? I hope there aren't any of those boys from the camp involved?"

"No, of course not, Mrs White," Ruthie shook her head. "Well, I mean…it _is_ Saturday night."

"Mmm hmm," Mrs White smiled faintly. "Just be on your best behaviour, girls. Oh, April, did you read that letter from your sister?"

"Uh huh," April put on a smile, her stomach flopping.

"What did she say?"

"Just the usual," April shrugged.

"I'd like to read it, if you don't mind,"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Mom, but I left it at the diner. We were in such a hurry to leave," April said apologetically. "I'll bring it home next time."

"Alright," Mrs White said, walking back out of the room, casting a last warning glance towards April. "Be careful, tonight."

Mrs White shut the door with a click behind her. When she was confident that she was out of earshot, Ruthie turned to her friend and asked inquisitorially. "What was that about? What letter?"

"Amy sent a letter addressed to just me," April shrugged her shoulders, looking away. "Just the usual, but I think Mom thinks there's some big secret going on."

"Oh," Ruthie said, looking back to the mirror as she held up a red pencil skirt dress with a slit up the leg up to her body. "Wow, I'm not surprised this one didn't make it past your Mom. Where did Amy even get this? Whaddya think?"

April looked up, smiling. "I'll say the exact thing I said to Amy…it's a little extreme, isn't it?"

"So it's perfect then," Ruthie beamed at her reflection.

"Sure," April rolled her eyes, picking herself up off of the bed. "Just get a move on, we need to get going. Oh, and remember to put a coat on before you walk past my Mom in that dress."

……………………………………

The girls tottered down Main Street towards the movie theatre at a snail's pace thanks to the stiletto heels that Ruthie had insisted on taking a detour back to her own house to pick up.

"We're gonna be late," Ruthie sighed.

"I told you to forget about the shoes but noooooo," April laughed, running a hand through her curls. "Why would you even want to wear those?"

"How do you figure?"

"Well," She explained. "You're trying to impress this _Perconte_, right? You don't wanna tower over him!"

Ruthie stopped in her tracks. "Good point."

"Told ya,"

"Hang on a second," Ruthie stopped, walking over to the nearest wall and using it to support herself as she took the shoes off. "You have to switch with me."

"What?" April's eyes widened. "No, no I don't think so! I'm not wearing those heels! I'll look like the _ladies_ who cool their heels in the shady parts…"

"Please, April! You know I'd do it for you," Ruthie pleaded.

"But I can't wa…," She stopped, Ruthie's begging eyes making her cave in. Reluctantly she took of her black, patent leather black shoes, her _sensible_ shoes, and passed them to the currently shoeless girl in front of her. "Here you go."

"You're a _star_," Ruthie slipped them on her feet. "Don't worry, these heels make your legs look fantastic!" 

April put on the heels, feeling the ground wobble in front of her. Tentatively she took a step forward and wobbled again.

"Well, they usually make legs look fantastic" Ruthie frowned as she watched her friend attempt to walk in the shoes. "Geez, April, you're walking like baby Bambi."

"Did I mention that I don't know how to walk in these damn things?" She said a little sourly.

"You'd better hold onto my arm," Ruthie held out her arm and the two hobbled down towards the cinema.

"Well…this is a good look," She shot Ruthie a flash of anger.

Ruthie couldn't help but burst out laughing as they got to the corner of the cinema. "You're right, this isn't going to work. Let's swap back!"

"Finally!" Bill's voice sounded out from in front of them as he caught sight of them out of the corner of his eye. "Come on ladies, the show's about to start!"

April, taken aback, missed her footing in the heels and sprawled forward, her arms flailing out. Panicked and in mid-flight, she grabbed onto the first khaki jacket she came into contact with, her curls flying in front of her eyes.

"Are you alright?" Webster's voice rang out, sounding a little surprised.

She looked up, a feeling of dread circulating in her stomach as she realised that it was his arms which she had fallen into. She quickly tried to right herself, fixing her hair and blushing furiously. "I'm so sorry. These pavements are a, um…an utter disgrace."

"That's alright," He said, helping her back onto her feet and gently releasing her.

"Well, that's one way to make an entrance, huh?" Ruthie joked, trying to smooth things over. "So, which of your friends have you brought with you tonight, Bill?"

"This is Webster, Joe Toye, Joe Liebgott, George Luz…but you've met him already," Bill rhymed off their names. He clapped a hand on Perco's shoulder, flashing a teasing smile in Ruthie's direction. "…and this is Frank."

Frank, clearly having been informed by Bill that there was a possibility that his luck was in, stepped forward and took Ruthie's hand, giving it a quick yet sensuous kiss. "Enchanté."

"How charming," Ruthie purred, offering her his arm as they all began to shuffle into the theatre.

April closed her eyes and shook her head. Her friend could be so embarrassing sometimes. Of course, the exact moment that she thought this she took another step forward in those heels and stumbled forward again. This time Bill held a hand to stop her from falling to the ground.

"What's the hell?" He looked at her in confusion. "You been drinkin' or something?"

"No," She composed herself again. "It's just…never mind. Let's go see the movie."

As she was about to stumble again, Bill cast a look over to Webster. "Give her an arm will ya, Web? We'll miss our movie at this pace!"

Web held out his arm and she paused a second, blinking at him, before finally taking it gingerly.

"With all due respect," He smiled at her politely. "The shoes are…."

She held up a finger, stifling a laugh. "Don't even say a word…."

"What movie are we seeing anyway?" George piped up as they all shuffled into the dark movie hall.

"Who cares what movie?" Ruthie giggled.

"_Tales of Manhattan_, George," April said, shuffling into a row, Webster on one side and Bill on the other.

"Anyone good in it?" Liebgott whispered.

"Rita Hayworth, I think,"

"Oh, it's my lucky day," Luz pumped his fist into the air, causing him to stand on the foot of a lady sitting in the row as he shuffled past her. "So sorry, Ma'am."

"Gee Frank, this row looks kinda full," Ruthie said, feigning a frustrated sigh. "We'd better take the row behind."

"Good idea," He said, following her willingly as she yanked him into the row.

As Ruthie took a seat behind them, Bill leaned into April's ear, whispering. "Your friend aint backwards in comin' forwards if you know what I mean."

"Frank doesn't seem to mind all that much," She shot back, smiling.

"Course he doesn't," Webster laughed. "_Tales of Manhattan_, huh?"

"Hope it don't make ya homesick, Web," Bill joked.

…………………..

Thirty minutes later the projector cast flickering shadows across the faces of everyone in the movie theatre as they watched Rita Hayworth mooning over Charles Boyer. April sat with her mouth practically agog, watching the scenes. She wasn't really looking at the actors as much as she was looking at the scenery. She knew it was really just a set from the 20th Century Fox studio, but they sure made New York look pretty. Instinctively, she reached for the bag of popcorn which they were all sharing, her eyes glued to the screen, suddenly looking down as she realised that her hand had made contact with Webster's hand, which was in search for popcorn as well. She quickly withdrew, casting him an apologetic glance. He quickly took a handful of popcorn and withdrew his hand, indicating that the bag was free for her. She quickly shoved her hand in and took out a few kernels of popped corn, putting them delicately into her mouth. Suddenly she could hear light smacking noises coming from behind her. She craned her neck round slightly to see where it was coming from, letting out a small gasp when she saw that it was Ruthie and Frank, locked in a lip-smacking clinch. The size difference made it look like a lioness devouring her prey. Her gasp had made Webster turn round too to see what she was looking at. He raised his eyes for a moment when he saw, then looked back at April, smiling and rolling his eyes as they made eye contact. She smiled back, shaking her head in disbelief and motioning back towards the kissing couple. They held their gaze for a few moments before forcibly staring back at the screen.

……………………….

"Great movie, huh?" Ruthie drawled as they all spilled out of the movie theatre.

"Did you actually see any of it?" April whispered jokingly in her friend's ear.

"Plenty," Ruthie replied dryly. "Okay, well I'd better get myself home as I am working in the diner in the morning, but thank you fellas for a lovely evening."

"Don't thank us," Bill joked, winking at Frank. "_We_ didn't do nothin'."

"Damn it, Gonorrhoea," Frank rolled his eyes.

"Gono-what?" Ruthie asked, her eyes wide as she looked at Bill.

"Nothin," Frank put a hand on her back. "Come on, I'll walk you home."

"Why thank you, Frank. Such a gentleman," Ruthie said, buttoning up her coat. She kissed April goodbye on the cheek and looked at the others. "Someone be a doll and make sure she gets home alright?" 

"Ruthie," April motioned down to her feet.

"Oh, right," Ruthie smacked her forehead, taking off the flat shoes and putting the heels back on as April handed them to her. "Night guys."

"Probably for the best," Bill joked.

"Night everyone," Ruthie said, blowing a kiss over her shoulder as she and Frank sauntered off into the night.

"You want us all to walk you home?" Toye asked, jamming his hands into his pockets.

"Thank for the offer, but if any of the neighbours see me being escorted home by _multiple_ soldiers-in-training then they'll definitely tell my parents!"

"Well, I'll walk you…if you want," Webster piped up. "I'm in no real rush to get back."

"Really?" Her eyes couldn't help themselves from lighting.

Bill clapped him on the back. "Good man, Web."

"Okay, well, if you don't mind," She nodded at him. "That would be lovely."

"See you back at the barracks, Web," Bill called over his shoulder. "Oh and congratulations again on the photograph."

"Thank you," she smiled, watching as they all trooped off together en masse into the night.

"So…," He motioned with his fingers. "Which direction?"

"This way," She said, motioning for him to follow her.

……………

Together they walked along the deserted evening roads, merely inches apart but hands stuck firmly into their respective jacket pockets. Every so often their elbows would graze and they'd share a small smile.

"Sorry about my friend," She joked, breaking the silence. "She's just a little excitable in the wake of the _Khaki Invasion_."

He laughed at her accentuation. "I'm sure Frank will be enjoyin' himself, anyway."

"I'm sure,"

"So the photograph," He piped up. "Is this the first of many to be published?"

She shrugged. "Hopefully,"

"What do you do on your internship?"

"I work mostly with the Head of Photography, Marv, developing photos for him and such. I'm a lackey, basically," She laughed.

"So then how did your photo get into the paper?"

"He gives me photo assignments every week as practice. He calls it honing my skills. Each week he'll give me a topic related to a story that's running in the paper that week and I have to go and take a photograph which is related to it. He always says they'll use it if it's good enough but that hasn't happened until now,"

"You must be ecstatic, then," He smiled politely.

"I am. I really am," She smiled, looking at him briefly before looking away. A silence developed again. "So, do you miss being a student?"

"Sure I do," He nodded. "I was looking forward to reading full-time for a couple of years."

"You seem to get through your share of books," She laughed, then paused, frowning. "...or so I've noticed."

"Just reading what I can trade with the others at camp," He shrugged. "Don't have nearly enough, though."

"Got a lot of favourites?"

"Too many to have just one favourite, but I like Hemingway,"

"Really? My sister goes crazy for Hemingway," April smiled fondly. "His were the only books which she took to the city with her this summer."

"She has good taste then," He said, frowning as April put out a hand to stop him. "What?"

"You can leave me here," She smiled. "I live just around the corner."

"You don't want me to walk you round?" He asked, cocking his head to the side.

"No, it's alright," She laughed gently. "My mom is probably watching out onto the street from the curtains so…I'll spare both of us a third degree."

"Generous of you," He joked. "Well, if you're alright from here then I'll say goodnight."

"Goodnight," She smiled shyly. "Thank you for walking all the way here."

"No trouble at all," He waved a hand dismissively.

She stood for several seconds as though rooted to the spot, switching between looking at the floor and looking back at him. She didn't know exactly what she expected to happen or even what she wanted to happen. All she knew was that, at that moment, she couldn't move.

"Something wrong?" He frowned at her.

"No, no," She said, cheeks flushing.

"Well, goodnight then. Maybe I'll see you in the diner tomorrow." He smiled politely, patting the side of her shoulder.

"Alright then," She looked down. He was such a gentleman. She turned on her heel and began walking round the corner. "Goodnight David."

"Wait!" He suddenly called out.

She turned round expectantly, hopefully. "Yes?"

He held up a coin, giving her a goofy smile. "This fell out of your pocket.

She reached out, her skin lingering a few seconds longer on his than it ought to as she took it from him. "Clumsy of me."

"It happens," he chuckled. "Goodnight, April."

………………………………………..

_**September 10**__**th**__** 1942- New York City**_

Her wavy hair bouncing along in time to her movements as she hurried along the sidewalk on 3rd avenue, Amy White turned down a little, smoky side street. She could hear the strains of the band coming out of the little back alley swing club before she could even see the flashing neon sign. She breathed in an excited intake of air as she neared the door, her hand clutching tightly inside her coat onto the letter she'd just received. The sounds of the city reverberated through her body in pulses, making her feel more alive than she ever had. She loved having a Saturday night off, and where better than this vibrant city? She waved to Ken, the doorman, as she neared the door.

"Evening Alice," He greeted her, moving the velvet rope aside so that she could go inside. "They're already inside at the usual table."

"Fantastic, Ken," She beamed, stepping inside the club. "Have a good night!"

Inside the small club, a waiter instantly offered to take her coat. Handing it to him, she made her way through the net curtain and into the main hall. The band was in full swing on the stage and she had to wade through a parade of swinging dancers as she made her way to the back of the club. Eventually she saw the four girls sitting at their usual table at the back. They looked up in excitement as she approached them.

"There she is! Late as usual," One piped up.

"Sorry, ladies," She waved a hand at them. "Traffic is murder out there tonight. I couldn't even hardly cross the road!"

"Anyway, anyway," Another piped up, shushing the other girls excitedly. "Did you get in?"

"Well," She said, reaching for the letter. She paused for a moment, before holding it up in front of them. "…I got in!"


	3. Chapter 3 Library

**That is How Long I Have Loved You- Chapter 3**

* * *

**Thank you soo much to all of the reviewers so far. Everything that you've all said about the story so far has been really lovely and complimentary. Hopefully you'll all keep on enjoying the story. Please let me know what you think : )**

…………………………………………**.**

_**September 11**__**th**__**, 1942- Toccoa, Georgia**_

The afternoon after the night before. Another day, another shift in the diner. April stirred a dollop of vanilla ice cream into a glass of root beer, frowning as she stared at Ruthie, who stood at the other side of the counter, absent-mindedly wiping it with a cloth as she stared off into space, a glazed look on her face. April picked up the root beer float, setting it down in front of her. "Order up for table 12."

"What?" Ruthie shook her head, snapping back to earth. She looked down at the drink. "Oh, oh right."

"You look pale today," April observed, a playful glint in her eye. "Good night last night? Frank walk you _all the way_ to your door?"

Ruthie just shuddered, almost gagging.

The bell on the front door jingled as it was opened. April turned round to see the usual squadron of soldiers in training walking through. "Here comes loverboy now…."

Ruthie put a hand to her mouth, looking nauseous. "I'd better take this to table twelve.

April watched her walk across the diner floor, frowning.

"Good Afternoon," A voice rang out, breaking her train of thought.

She looked over, slinging a cloth over her shoulder and smiling at the man sitting in front of her. She sauntered over, standing in front of him. "Afternoon, David. I trust you got back to camp alright?"

"Eventually," He smiled.

"Glad to hear…," She began.

"Excuse me," Frank's voice interrupted from the other end of the corner. "Could I get a glass of water."

She looked at him, noticing that he was equally as pale as Ruthie, in spite of his normally olive-coloured skin tone. Equally, he looked just as nauseous and spaced out. She grabbed an empty glass and walked over to the sink, just next to David. She whispered to him, out of Frank's earshot. "What's with him?"

He shrugged, shooting a glance at him. "He snuck in late last night, even later than I did. No one's gotten a word out of him all day."

"Odd," She whispered. "Ruthie has been exactly the same way. I wonder what they got up to last night."

"…I don't think I wanna know," Webster joked, raising his eyebrows gently.

April stifled a laugh, turning off the faucet and setting the glass down in front of Frank. "You alright, Frank?"

He nodded, his head jerking up and down a little too quickly. "I'm fine, I'm fine."

"Have you eaten anything today?" She frowned at him. "I could get you a burger, some milk even? More nutritious than water, anyway."

"Did you say milk?"

"Yes…"

He quickly put a hand to his mouth, as though nauseous. Hand still over his mouth, he shook his head at her, walking away.

She screwed up her face slightly, turning back to face Webster and shrugging her shoulders at him.

"Like I said," He raised his eyebrows again. "I don't wanna know…."

"I think that makes two of us," She bit her lip. Her face lit up as she reached behind the counter. "I have something for you."

"Oh yeah?" He asked, trying to peer over. "What's that?"

She produced a book, sliding it across the counter towards.

He picked it up gingerly, studying the cover. His face lit up. "The Sun Also Rises?"

"Hemingway," She shrugged, her cheeks pinking slightly. "I guess my sister didn't take her entire Hemingway collection."

"I guess not," He said, running his fingers over the spine. "Are you sure she wouldn't mind?"

"She's not home to know," She replied, smiling, adding under her breath. "…_yet_."

"Well, thanks," He smiled warmly at her, holding her gaze for a moment. "That's really sweet of you."

"What's with those two?" Bill's voice sounded out at the counter, breaking the moment which they were sharing.

"Don't wanna know…," Both piped up, accidentally in unison, looking at each other in surprise and sharing a laugh.

……………………

A few hours later, April reached up to the bell hanging from the rafter, give it a sharp ring. She called out "The lock is comin' off the liquor cabinet!"

A chorus of cheers rang out around the diner as, much like a herd on the Serengeti, a horde of feet shuffled towards the counter.

"Looks like you've got a busy night ahead," David observed from the side, looking up from his book.

"Tell me about it," she rolled her eyes. "I hate the nightshift. Started the Hemingway already, huh?"

"Yeah well, why waste time, right?" He said, smiling a little as he hid the cover of the book out of sight.

"Right," She gave him a little wink, walking along the counter and turning her attention the rabble of thirsty customers in front of her. "What can I get you? George, isn't it?"

"From last night. Good memory," He raised his eyebrows, looking over at Webster, casting her a knowing glance. "You know, I could put in a good word with him if you want me to…."

Her eyes widened as she put a finger to her lips, suggesting they were far too in earshot to be having this kind of conversation. She lowered her voice. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Okay, I believe you," He lied, changing the subject. "I'll have a beer."

"One beer coming him up," A pang of annoyance flashed through her.

…………………..

David looked up from his book, feeling the need for something. He looked over at April, wiping a counter top, her brow furrowed in conversation. "Hey, April."

"Yes?" She asked, looking over a little too quickly.

"Can I get a whiskey please?"

"Sure," She opened the mahogany liquor cabinet, preparing his drink. She set it down in front of him, whispering. "I poured a little extra in there for you."

"I owe you one," He winked at her, not knowing that he had just sent a wave of butterflies soaring through her.

"That's alright," She shrugged. "No big deal."

She turned her back on him, putting the whiskey back into the cabinet and walking over towards Ruthie and Bill, who stood in conversation on the other side of the counter.

"She won't tell me what happened with Frank," Bill said, shaking his head looking over at April as she neared them.

"Not like you to keep a secret, Ruthie," April teased, pointedly.

"Geez, just drop will you…_both_ of you!" Ruthie hissed, shaking in revulsion again. She turned the tables on April. "So why don't you just ask him out already?"

April looked back at Webster for a moment. "_I'm_ not asking! Besides, I have too much to do anyway with here, my internship and prepping for Sarah Lawrence, so…."

"Excuses, excuses…," Bill joked, lighting up a cigarette.

"Who says you cant take the initiative?" Ruthie challenged. "Why sit back on your heels. Amy wouldn't!"

"I'm not Amy, though!" April observed, shaking her head.

"Who is Amy…and when can I meet her?" Bill teased, winking at both of them.

"Ew, she's my sister, you mook," April shook her head in disgust, taking the cigarette from his mouth and stubbing it out. "What have I told you about that damn sign behind the counter!"

"Geez, alright, alright," Bill said, raising his eyes at Ruthie as he motioned at April. "I woke the fuckin' beast, pardon my French."

"At least she took the initiative," Ruthie smiled, a glint in her eye. "Come on, April, just do it. Who knows when these paratroopers will be moving on!"

"We're not paratroopers yet," George Luz observed, appearing behind them, empty glass in hand. "And do what?"

"Ask Web out," Bill said, putting the stubbed out cigarette back into the packet for later. 

"Oh, great," George feigned hurt. "Here's me offerin' my services and everythin' earlier and getting my head bitten off for my troubles…."

"Come on, you've been mooning over him for weeks," Ruthie slapped a hand impatiently on the table.

"She won't do it," Bill pressed, adding coyly. "…too chicken."

"What?" Her eyes flared up with anger. "I am _not_ a chicken. You know what…fine! I will! If only to make you all shut the hell up!"

Indignantly, despite the feeling that her stomach had just fallen out of her body and onto the floor, she turned on her heel and stalked back over towards Webster. She must've looked threatening in her demeanour, as he looked up at her in surprise as she approached.

"You look like you're gonna kill me," He observed, setting his book back down on the counter, adding. "Whatever you think I did…I didn't do."

"What? Oh no, nothing like that," She shook her head, waving a hand dismissively at him. "David…."

"Yes?"

"What are you…," She paused. "Are you doing anything…next Saturday?"

He thought for a second, frowning slightly. "No…why?"

"Well, I was just wondering if you wanted to…wanted to…," She paused, losing her nerve completely. Looking around her in desperation, her eyes fell on his book, lying atop the counter. "…go to the library with me?"

The audible sound of three hands slapping their heads in disbelief rang out behind them. It was the most pathetic attempt at a pickup. He frowned at her and she braced herself for the inevitable rejection.

"You have a library here?"

"Yes, yes we do. Well, if you can call it that. It's not very big, but there are some good reads in there," She said, scrambling her thoughts together in her head and trying to save her abysmal attempt. "You know, I just thought that if you wanted some books then you could…use my library card."

"Christ," Bill's voice, low but audible, could be hear behind them, exasperated.

To everyone's surprise, after a pause, he said. "Okay, sure. That's nice of you."

"Really?" Ruthie's voice rang out a little too loudly in disbelief. She panicked, pretending that she'd been talking to Bill. "You _really_ want another beer, Bill?"

"Aren't you working next weekend, though?" Webster asked.

"Oh," She frowned, remembering. "I…."

"Say, April," Ruthie suddenly appeared behind them. "You're still okay your Saturday shift for my Sunday shift this weekend, _right_?"

"Right," She beamed, winking at her friend and turning back to David. "No, no I'm not working."

……………………………

_**Friday 15**__**th**__** September, 1942- Toccoa, Georgia**_

April sat opposite Hank in his office at the Toccoa Enquirer, listening as he droned on about funding and advertising. Her eyelids felt heavy.

"April!" He snapped his fingers, sitting up in his chair. "Focus! I know you're main interest is photography but you knew that the internship involved all aspects of the paper when you signed on."

She sat up straight. "I'm listening. I'm listening."

"Okay," He said, pulling out another past copy of the paper and setting it down on his desk in front of her. "Now _this_ one…"

_Knock knock._

Marv, Head of the Photography department, stuck his head round the door. "Knock knock."

"He returns. How was the holiday, Marv?" Hank observed, standing up and shaking his hand. "Come in, come in. I'm sure April will be glad for the distraction from her lesson."

"Whaddya want from me, Hank?" She joked. "It's Friday afternoon!"

"The holiday was great, little cold for this time of year," Marv shrugged, closing the door behind him as he walked in.

"Did you look at those photos from the diner that I gave you?" April couldn't help but pipe up.

"I did, I did," He nodded, pushing his glasses further up his nose.

"…and?"

"I liked them, kid," He nodded approvingly. "You had a good eye in them. I was thinking actually, if you don't mind, that I might send them along to a friend of mine in New York to see what she thinks. She works for a magazine there and her style is similar to yours. She might be able to offer you some more constructive criticism."

"Wow, you really think they're that good?" She asked, smiling. "Well, okay then. Send them to her. Let me know what she thinks, alright?"

"Will do," Marv nodded, leaning against the wall.

"Anyway," She stood up, eyeing the clock as it struck 4.30. "I'm outta here. My weekend officially starts here."

"You look a little too excited for another weekend in the diner," Hank joked.

"I'm not working tomorrow, if you must know," She shot back. "I…I'm seeing a friend."

"A friend?" Marv piped up, sharing a knowing glance with Hank.

"Must be a soldier," Hank teased.

"Don't be nosy," She blushed, throwing her knapsack over her shoulder.

"Careful with those soldiers," Hank said, extending a friendly caution to her as she opened the door to leave. "Have fun!"

When she was gone and out of earshot, Marv sat down in the chair she'd just vacated.

Hank reclined back in his plush leather chair. "Why didn't you tell her about the internship in New York?"

"I'll wait," Marv shrugged. "In case it all falls through. I don't want to get her hopes up until I have confirmation."

"Better get those photographss in the mail, then,"  
…………………………

_**Saturday 16**__**th**__**, 1942- Toccoa, Georgia**_

April sat in a chair in her kitchen, fidgeting impatiently whilst her mother pinned her hair up piece by piece. Mrs White remarked. "This is a lot of effort for a Saturday outing April. Who is this young man, again?"

"Just a friend from the diner, Mom," She explained. "Besides I told you, we're just going to the library."

"Don't take your mother for a fool, sweetheart," Mrs White chuckled lightly. "You're asking for a hairstyle that's far too intricate for the library."

"Well…I like him," She admitted, biting her lip.

"Hmm, I'm not so sure this is a good idea," Mrs White shook her head. "Those soldiers have quite the reputation, associating with women so freely and…."

April shook her head. "He's not like that. He's smart…and he reads."

"_Oh_, well he must be something special if he can read," her mother teased, adding another pin into her daughter's hair. "Oh well, so long as you're careful."

"I will be," April sighed. "Besides, I don't think he even thinks that it's a date."

"How so?"

"Well, I asked him if he was doing anything on Saturday…then I lost my nerve and asked if he'd like to borrow my library card,"

"Oh, Sweetheart," Mrs White rubbed her shoulder sympathetically. "Don't worry, leave it all too me."

……………….

An hour or so later, April made her way along to the movie theatre, where she'd arranged to meet David. In her hand she carried a wicker basket, an impromptu picnic that her mother had given her so that she might suggest a spot of lunch in the park after the library. "_In the park, April, where you'll be surrounded by lots of people. That's my only condition_" her mother had added before handing over the basket.

As she neared, she saw him standing by the door. He waved to her as she neared to show his presence. "Well, I feel a little underdressed."

"Are you soldiers allowed to wear anything else?" She joked, defending herself. "I'm not overdressed. You just haven't often seen me without my work apron!"

"Good point. What's in the basket?" He asked, pointing to it.

"Oh, just my lunch," She slipped out by mistake.

"Pretty big lunchbox," He joked, raising his eyes as they started out towards the library.

"Well, if you're lucky I might share it with you,"

……………………….

"You're right, this is small," He raised his eyes as they stopped outside of the small, sandstone building which was the Toccoa Library.

"I didn't want to give you false hope," She laughed, leading him up the steps.

"No, I can see that," He smiled appreciatively as they pushed their way through the double doors.

"Well, I'm sure it's nothing like the libraries in New York,"

Walking inside, she presented David with the selection before them, which totalled up to a maximum of ten sets of bookshelves. Not wanting to crowd him, she took a step back "Well, feel free to browse. Come find me when you're done."

Watching him saunter off in the direction of the books, she bit her lip and wandered over in the direction of the helpdesk. The librarian, dressed in stereotypical librarian attire of a plaid skirt suit and thin, wiry spectacles on the rim of her nose, looked up, squinting at her.

"Amy White? Good to see you again my dear," The Librarian broke out into a smile. "How is your mother?"

"It's April, not Amy," She corrected her with a smile. "Mom's fine, though."

"Oh, the other one," The librarian winked. "Don't see _you_ much around here, April."

"I know, I know," She cast her an apologetic look. "That's why I popped over, actually. Is my library card still valid?"

"Let me check," The librarian took the card from her hands and inspected it thoroughly. "Yes, this is fine."

"Phew, thanks," A wave of relief washed through her.

She walked over towards the shelves of books, keen not to overcrowd him. She walked down an aisle a few rows away from the one which he was in. She pretended to browse the books on the shelves, her eyes catching a glimpse of his face from between the slats of the bookcases. His brow furrowed in concentration as he studied the back cover of a book. It might have been a small and seemingly insignificant moment but that was the moment she would always remember. Perhaps to say that this was the moment in which she first began to feel herself falling in love with him is a little clichéd and who was to say that she really knew what she feeling? It was definitely something along those lines though.

…………………….

"Do you mind hanging onto the bulk of these for me if I read them one at a time?" David asked, carrying a small stack of books as they walked out of the library. "We're not really supposed to have too many personal effects at camp."

"Sure," She said, clicking her heels together as they came to a halt at the foot of the stairs. Both stared at each other for a moment until she broke the silence, holding the basket a little higher. "Can I tempt you with a little lunch?"

He looked at the basket for a moment, pondering. Finally he shrugged his shoulders. "Sure, what the hell, right? I'd only be eating at the diner anyway."

"Right," She frowned for a second before leading him towards the park.

…………………………………….

Together, they sat on a bench in the park, separated by the wicker basket, the faint rays of September sunshine shining on their faces. Both nibbled on sandwiches with very neat edges.

"Pretty peaceful here," He observed. "Far cry from the city."

"I'll bet," She nodded. "I still envy you though."

"Well, you'll know what it's like soon enough," He smiled at her.

"Are you feeling suffocated in this small town?" She asked, intrigued.

"Not in this town," He laughed. "This is big compared to the bubble of the training camp."

"Stuck between four walls, right?" She asked.

"Something like that,"

"I suppose they'll be moving you on soon, right?"

He shrugged, a nonplussed look on his face. "You know as much as I do."

"I'm sure I'm not supposed to be asking you about this kind of thing, anyway," she mused, looking off into the distance.

"How do you figure?"

She waved a hand at him. "Just some of the reporters at the paper have been trying to get the inside scoop on that camp for weeks and have come up with nothin'."

"I'd better shut my mouth then, huh," He laughed. "So, how is the photography going since your _big success_."

She laughed slightly at his joke. "It's going well. I wasn't expecting much from the internship anyway."

"Not planning for it to lead to a career?"

She snorted. "I wish! My parents say that its hardly a practical career plan."

"That's a little pessimistic,"

"If they had their way, my sister and I would go to college, meet a couple of bankers in line for promotion and settle down in adjacent houses in the suburbs…although I suppose that's a bit of a pipe dream now given what's going on abroad. "

"Sounds…yeah," He grimaced. He lightened his tone, joking. "Don't worry, wait til you get to New York then you can run off, get a new name and work as a photographer."

"I'll call that plan B, shall I?" She laughed. "So what do you want to do after this is all over? Are you studying literature to become a writer?"

"Who knows," He shrugged. "Too soon to think about the future. Let's see if I become a paratrooper first."

"I suppose that _would_ be a good place to start…,"

He reached across the basket and patted her hands, which were folded on her lap, gently, for a second or two, offering her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, if I become a journalist I'll let you provide the photographs for my articles."

Did he even know what he was doing to her? She looked down from her hands, still tingling from his brief touch, and back up towards his face, losing himself in his big, dark eyes. Those lips…

"Well, that was delicious. Thank you," He said, slapping his hands lightly off of his legs, making her snap back to reality. "Getting a little chilly out here, isn't it? Well, I think we deserve a drink. Allow me to accompany you to the diner?"

He stood up, offering her an arm.

"Sure," She said, tingling in anticipation. "Lead the way…."

……………………………………………….

As they neared the diner, they could see that it was packed to the rafters. Music blared out from the jukebox, which was slightly odd for a Sunday afternoon. They pushed open the door, immediately spotting an excited rabble in the corner. April barely had a second to look at it before Ruthie had bounded up to her, excitedly. "There you are! I've been waiting for so long for you to get here?"

"Why?" April asked, confused.

"Did you get a smooch, by the way?" Ruthie whispered, pressing her for information.

"No," April shook her head absent-mindedly, her gaze falling on a familiar looking suitcase sitting behind the counter. Her eyes widened in surprise as she looked back up at Ruthie, blurting. "…Amy?"

Ruthie's eyes lit up. She motioned to the back corner. "That's why I've been waiting on you, dummy! Looks like New York didn't grab her. She's in the corner…."

Almost in a daze (it had been so long since she'd seen her sister), she gently thrust the picnic basket into Webster's arms. "David, could you hold this for me?"

"Uh, sure," He said, taking it from her and peering over into the corner.

She surged forward, pushing her way through the crowds enjoying their Sunday afternoon, past all of the brightly-coloured skirt suits and past all of the khaki. There she was…Amy. A smile broke out on April's face as she took in the sight of her sister, the sister she barely recognised. Amy's hair, normally poker straight, fawned over her shoulders in flowing waves. Her face emitted a healthy glow. New York had clearly agreed with her. It was really no wonder that she was surrounded by a booth full of uniform-clad gentlemen, amongst them Bill and George, each of them hanging onto her every word.

She cleared her throat. "Amy…."

Amy glanced over, taking a second to register before her eyes widened and, with a piercing squeal, she jumped out of her seat, pulling April into a hug within the space of about two seconds. The girls embraced for several moment before pulling apart.

"So…" Amy said, a hand on each of her sister's shoulders. "did you miss me?"

……………………………………..


	4. Chapter 4 Amy White

**That's How Long I Have Loved You: Chapter 4**

* * *

**Hiyaa! Hope you're liking it so far. I've got some exams for the rest of the week but I'll have much more time to devote to it after that. I'm really excited about this one and cant wait to get my teeth into it :D. Thanks for all of the lovely reviews for the last chapter. As always, I'd love to read reviews (good or bad) on the new chapter. :D**

…………………………………………………**.**

"So…" Amy said, a hand on each of her sister's shoulders. "did you miss me?"

"Are you kidding?" April exclaimed, throwing her arms around her sister once more, the emotion catching in her throat, bringing a tear to her eye.

"Stop that silliness," Amy tutted, reaching out a finger and gently brushing the space under April's tearing eye duct. "You'll set me off!"

"I'm sorry," April waved a hand dismissively in the air. "I didn't realise how much I've missed you!"

"Oh, thanks," Amy said sarcastically, feigning offence.

April indicated towards the counter. "Your suitcase…you haven't been home yet, have you?"

"…no," Amy bit her lip, an anxious look slowly breaking out onto her face. "I thought I'd come and find you first, so that you could come home with me and…."

"Defend you?" April teased, her lip curling up into an affectionate smirk.

"Something like that," Amy threw an arm around her sister's shoulder.

"So go on then…," April pressed. "Why are you home?"

Amy looked around her, biting her lip again. "Let's wait til later to talk. This isn't really the place. Besides, we have so much other stuff to catch up on."

"Sure," April nodded, finding her sister's reaction odd and growing instantly suspicious. She put it to the back of her mind however as they were in public, instead turning a bright-eyed glance to the soldiers sitting in Amy's booth. "I see you've been making friends."

"Ruthie introduced me to these fine young gentleman," Amy said, indicating to Bill and George. "They thought I was you when I arrived. This one…"

"_Bill_," Bill rolled his eyes, smiling at the sisters.

"Bill, yes. Anyway, Bill comes over to me and asks me how _it_ went. It, what is _it_?" Amy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing," April replied, drawing daggers at Bill.

Amy shrugged, sliding back into the booth, placing her elbows on the table and her chin on her hands. "Well, I barely even recognised this place when I came in. All of these soldiers! Clearly I picked the wrong time to skip town, huh?"

"Christ," George piped up.

"I'm sorry?" Amy asked, smiling at him.

"It's like I'm getting' double vision without even drinkin', looking at you two," He explained. "I've never seen two girls who look so alike before."

"That's a compliment, I hope," Amy laughed.

"I'm sure it was," April said, sliding into the booth next to him and opposite her sister.

"Of course," He blushed.

_Ahem_.

Both girls looked up to see Webster, his hands still laden down with the picnic basket. "Sorry to interrupt, but this is heavy. Mind if I set it down on the table?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, David!" April sprang back to her feet. "I forgot I landed you with that thing. Sure, set it down."

He placed it on the table and cast a glance at Amy, his eyes electric. "Wow, you girls look even more alike in person."

"In person?" Amy asked, amused. "Have we met before in some other way?"

The tips of his cheeks reddened slightly as he goofily pointed towards April. "Your sister showed me some pictures from her albums."

"Telling people about me, April," She joked, playfully kicking her sister under the table.

"Don't let it go to your head or anythin'," April laughed, rolling her eyes.

Amy placed her hands on the picnic basket, fingering the wicker material. "So, what's in here? Picnic?"

"Books," David explained. "Your sister lent me her library card."

"Oh, really?" Amy asked, raising her eyes, interested. She opened the lid. "Let's see what we have here, then."

"Book talk," April sighed, indicating to her vacated seat. "Take a seat, David. Anyone want a drink?"

"Water," They both replied in unison, sharing a small, amused smile.

"Get me a cola?" George asked.

"I'll take one too," Bill piped up.

"Geez, I was just being polite," April laughed. "I'm not on shift today, you know that, right?"

"I'll give you hand," Bill hopped out of the other side of the booth. "I'm not much of a reader anyway."

"Thanks," She acknowledged him. "Be right back."

Together they walked up to the counter. If you could freeze frame any single moment this would be the one to do so with. This was the moment. This was the exact moment that April would come back to in her thoughts over the years. This was the moment she left them alone together with a big pile of books in front of them. Maybe if she hadn't done that then nothing would've happened. More fool her. Anyway, lets unfreeze this frame. Amy watched them go for a second before turning back to the basket. Reaching her hand in she pulled out the small pile within. She flicked through them, emitting slight murmurs of approval occasionally. "Wow, I didn't know they had this one in the library. I might need to borrow this from you, if you don't mind."

"Be my guest," Webster nodded, watching her furrowed brow as she flicked through the books.

"Wow," She held one up in front of him, a smile erupting on her face. Without thinking, she hugged the book to her chest. "Hemingway! I _love_ his work."

"I know," He smiled, not thinking before he said the words.

A small chuckle escaped Amy's lips as she motioned towards the counter. "How much _has_ she told you boys about me?"

"This and that," He teased, pointing to the book. "You have good taste."

"Why thank you," She jokingly bowed her head in front of him before looking back at the cover. "His work is just so…clear and to the point."

"Absolutely," Webster nodded enthusiastically, sitting forward in his chair. "…so subtle, too. The way he withholds information and doesn't spoon feed the reader everything. I think it really strengthens the narrative."

George clucked his tongue absent-mindedly, looking down awkwardly at the table before placing a hand on the table and pulling himself to his feet, indicating his departure. "I'm gonna go to the…yeah."

Amy relaxed into her chair, giggling slightly. "Something we said?"

"I think George is more comfortable reading Titter magazine than Hemingway," Webster joked.

Amy burst out laughing, her eyes following George up to the counter. She noticed her sister talking to Bill as Ruthie served them their drinks. She bit her lip in intrigue as she watched Bill say something to April, who then proceeded to place an affectionate hand on his upper arm and throw her head back in peals of laughter.

Webster turned round to see what she was looking at. "What are you looking it?"

She held a finger intriguingly to her lower lip as she motioned her head towards the counter. "Is there something going on between my sister and Bill?"

Web turned round to take another look, before turning back and shrugging. "Not that I know of. He hasn't said anything to me, anyway, nor her for that matter."

"He seems a bit too outspoken for her, though," She mused out loud to herself. She quickly corrected herself, worried she may just have offended one of David's friends. "Not that that's a bad thing or anything, just not the kind of guy she normally swoons over."

"So how was your summer in the city?" He asked, absent-mindedly fingering the table.

She cast her eyes back to him, narrowing her eyes slightly as she cast him an amused look and cocking her head to one side.

He looked at her in confusion before smiling and looking down. "Yes, yes she told me that too."

"I might have to have a word with her," Amy teased, brushing her hair over her shoulders as her face lit up. "The city was…incredible."

"I'm from New York," He told her.

"Really?" She asked, interested. "Geez, you must be dyin' out here in this tiny little place!"

"It's an adjustment," He nodded. "I haven't been home in a while though."

"No?" She asked.

"I studied before I came out here," He explained.

"Where?"

"Harvard,"

"Well look at you," She whistled. "Massachusetts, huh?"

"Yeah," He nodded.

"What'd you study?"

"Literature," He said, jokingly picking up one of the books and smiling.

"Hey, snap! I'm supposed to be starting Sarah Lawrence in the fall to study literature…," She stop, joking dryly. "…but I suppose you already knew that."

He held two hands up defencelessly. "She mentioned it, yeah."

"I don't have any secrets from you, do I?" She teased.

"Honestly…," he teased, leaning in a little closer and joking. "No. I even know that you had toast for breakfast this morning."

"Cereal, actually," She counteracted.

"Damn," He sighed, making a show of clicking his fingers in disappointment.

Amy sat back in her chair, laughing. _Wow_, she thought to herself. A man hadn't made her laugh like that since….

Up at the counter, April rested her elbow against the formica, teasing. "Come on Ruthie. Two waters and two cokes was all we asked for."

Ruthie spun her head round from the hatch, drawing her an evil glare. "Hey! I'm covering for _you_ tonight, remember! Plus, the other waitress called in sick so I'm picking up all my dirties_ and_ serving!"

"I don't think she's in a joking mood tonight," Bill winked at April warningly, making a cutthroat motion under his chin.

"I got that," She laughed, turning back to Ruthie. "You know I appreciate what you've done for me!"

"I should think so," Ruthie said, managing a smile as she threw a dishtowel over her shoulder. "So please tell me it was for something worthwhile."

"Yeah," Bill said, sitting down on one of the counter stools, a devilish smile on his lips. "How was this afternoon with Web? "

"It was…," April sat down, a warm feeling spreading through her as she reminisced. "…nice. It was really nice."

"Come one," Ruthie put her head in her hands as she rested her elbows on the formica. "Tell me it was more than _nice_."

"Whaddya mean?" She frowned, confused.

Bill stifled a laugh. "I think what she means is did you and Web get a little…."

She gasped at the suggestive motions he made with his hands. "There was nothing of that sort, Bill Guarnere!"

Ruthie shook her head and flicked him playfully with her dishtowel. "I won't tolerate filth like that at my counter! Well, did you get a little kiss?"

She shook her head defensively. "No."

"Well, surely he held your hand at least," Ruthie pressed.

April pursed her lips, shaking her head. "Nope, it wasn't like that."

Bill and Ruthie shared a fleeting glance of discomfort at each other before flashing her supporting smiles.

It was too late. April had seen their looks of dismay. She squirmed in her chair. "What? Should I be worried that he didn't try to hold my hand?"

Ruthie bit her lip, unable to help but think that it was odd for these army recruits who were without female attention for five days of the week to not at the very least attempt a hand hold. She swallowed her worry, for April's sake. "Course not, hon. I'm sure he's just a gentleman."

April relaxed a little in her chair. "See, now that's what I thought. David's not like the majority of these meathead recruits…no offence, Bill."

"None taken," Bill said dryly, raising his eyebrows.

She put an affectionate hand on his arm. "You're not a meathead, Bill."

"Would it kill ya to say it once in a while?" he joked, pretending to be offended.

She laughed, her eyes drifting over to the booth where David and Amy sat alone. She wondered where George had gone to. She looked at Amy, her head bent backwards as she laughed at something David had said. She arched her brow slightly, pointing over. "What do you suppose they're talking about?"

"Hell if I know," Bill said, putting a cigarette in his mouth and sighing in defeat as he caught sight of the "no smoking at the counter" sign, putting it back into his pocket.

"I wonder if she found a guy in New York," April mused accidentally out loud.

"I hope so," Ruthie agreed, looking out towards Amy. "It's about time she got over that chump…."

"What chump?" Bill asked, interested.

Ruthie clucked her tongue. "Amy was seein' a fella back in the late winter/early springtime, I forget which. Anyway, he enlisted and the day before he shipped off to basic training she caught him fooling around with some floozy who works in the post office."

"That right?" Bill asked, looking at the booth and at Amy. "Poor kid."

"That's why she went to New York really, I think," April explained further. "I'm sure he's outta her head by now, though. It's been months. No, what she needs is a good, solid, dependable man. Bill, maybe you could introduce her to one of the fellas in your company?"

"I don't think she'll need my help meeting anyone," He laughed. "I'm sure they'll come to her. I wouldn't call us dependable though, April. Who knows how long we'll be here for. We could be outta here within weeks."

"True," April nodded, shrugging, but then casting a desperate look in the direction of Webster. "Don't remind me of that!"

Ruthie tapped a rough finger onto April's shoulder, causing her to look round. "That's why you need to get in there, April! Don't let him go without letting him know how you feel!"

"I hear ya, I hear ya," April rolled her eyes, taking the drinks order which Ruthie had finally placed in front of her and walking back out towards the booth.

……………………………………

After they'd said their goodbyes to the fellas, who'd had to hot tail it back to camp in time for roll call, April and Amy made the trek back home together, both of them using a hand to drag Amy's suitcase.

"So you're enjoying the internship as much as you said in your letters?" Amy pressed, taking in the familiar sights of Toccoa as they neared their house.

"I love it," April beamed. "I mean, there's a lot of surplus information that I have to learn that I don't really give a damn about like inking procedures and layouts…."

"Eesh, sounds boring," Amy agreed, laughing.

"Yeah, it is, but the time I get to spend in the photography department more than makes up for it," April smiled.

They stopped at the foot of their driveway.

Amy visibly stiffened. "I'm scared. They're going to be so mad at me for not telling them that I was coming home and for giving up my governess job before time ended."

"Don't worry," April put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "We'll tell them that you got homesick and wanted to surprise them. Trust me, they'll be too happy to see you that they wont even give a damn!"

"Promise?" Amy said, holding out her pinky like when they were little.

"Promise," April smiling, linking pinkies with her. "…and then we can talk about what this is all about."

Together they walked up the drive and into the front door. Amy couldn't help but smile as she took in the familiar scents of home. Flowers mixed with home baking. Suddenly the sound of a familiar barking filled the air as the family dog Rufus, a shaggy-haired border collie, bounded out towards her. Recognising Amy, he leapt at her, knocking her back a few paces as he showed her hands with wet kisses.

"Hey, boy," She said, crouching down, giving him a chance to transfer his kisses to her face. "Oh, I missed you! Yes, I did!"

"Rufus, what are you barking a-," Steven, appearing in the hallway, stopped at the sight of his other sister. He looked confused at first, but then smiled at her, shouting out. "Mom! Guess who who's home!"

"Don't shout, Steven, I'm not…," Mrs White appeared in the hallway, wiping her hands on a dishtowel. She stopped short at the sight of her other daughter. She too, bore a momentary, confused look on her face, before clapping her hands to her face and rushing out to envelope her daughter in a hug. "Sweetheart!"

"Hey, Mom," Amy said, burying her head into her mother's neck and breathing in the familiar scent.

"What in the world are you doing back here?" She asked in surprise.

"I was just really homesick, Mom," Amy lied, putting on her most innocent face. "I wanted to spend some time with you all before Sarah Lawrence. I would've told you but I really wanted to surprise you."

Mrs White's face melted. "Well that is just the sweetest thing I've ever…oh, isn't that sweet, April?"

"Sure is," April said, frowning as she cast Amy a suspicious look.

"Well," Mrs White said, taking one of each of her daughters' hands in her own and leading them towards the kitchen. "Come in and take a seat. We have so much catching up to do. Oh my, wait until your father sees that you've come home. He won't know what's hit him."

"Where is dad?" Amy asked.

"He just popped over to your grandmother's to return something, but he'll be back for dinner. "Mrs White replied, gasping as she realised something. "Dinner! Isn't it a coincidence that I've made your favourite tonight, Amy."

"Spaghetti?" Amy's eyes lit up.

"Exactly,"

"I'm so glad that I came home," Amy's said, emitting a slight squeal.

…………………………..

That night, after a hearty dinner and family reunion around the fireplace, Amy and April went upstairs to their shared bedroom. After changing into their pyjamas and climbing into their adjacent single beds, Amy flipped off the light, as was custom. Lying alone in the dark, silence filled the room before Amy sighed happily. "It feels so good to get back into my own bed again!"

April laughed. "It feels strange having you back. The room has felt to empty since you've been gone."

"But you're glad I'm home, right?" Amy joked.

"Of course, of course!" April reassured her. She rolled over on her side to face her in the dark. "So go on then, why are you back so soon?"

Amy visibly yawned. "It's a really long story. Can we talk it through tomorrow?"

"Sure," April replied, sighing a little. She couldn't help but feel that her sister was dodging the question. "I'll let you get some sleep."

They were silent again for a while before Amy spoke. "You've made a good bunch of friends in those paratroopers."

April nodded. "They're nice fellas."

"I noticed you talking to Bill in the diner tonight," Amy probed. "Is there anything going on there?"

"With Bill," April snorted laughter. "Of course not. Why, do you like him?"

"Oh no," Amy shook her head. "Not like that. He seems like a nice fella, though."

"Yeah, he is," April said, relaxing into the mattress as she tried to make herself comfortable.

"So you were at the library with David?" Amy asked, breaking the silence once more.

"Yes," April said, her body tingling at the mere mention of his name.

"What about him? Is there anything going on there with you two?"

"Well, no," April shook her head opening her mouth to speak.

"He's a handsome one," Amy said, yawning deeply before whispering. "Smart, too."

"Isn't he. I really like him, Amy," April said. She stopped, noticing that she hadn't gotten a response from her sister. She craned her neck. "Amy?"

All she could hear was the sound of gentle breathing coming from Amy's general direction. _Asleep_, she rolled her eyes. Oh well, that conversation could wait.


	5. Chapter 5 Acquaintances

**That's How Long I Have Loved You: Chapter 5**

**Heey, sorry this update has taken a little longer. Hope you like the new chapter. One note, I talk about the Nurse Cadet Training Program in this chapter. This training program didn't actually start up until 1943 but, for the sake of the story, I'm pretending it started in 1942 lol. **

**Also, have any American/Canadian readers been watching The Pacific? It hasn't started here yet in the UK but I'm so excited about it. Is it good?**

**Please let me know any thoughts on the story : ) **

…………………………………………………

_**Sunday 12**__**th**__**, 1942- Toccoa**_

The next morning, the sound of birds tweeting from outside woke April from her slumber. She yawned, opening one eye to her surroundings. Groaning, she forced herself out of bed, sitting at the side as she stretched her arms out into the air. She glanced over to Amy, her face still cosied into her pillow as she slumbered on. _Let her sleep_, April thought to herself with a smile. Grabbing her robe, she slipped it over her shoulders and made her way downstairs.

She shuffled into the kitchen, where her mother sat at the kitchen table, reading the Sunday morning paper over a cup of coffee. She looked up as her daughter walked in. "Morning."

"Morning, mom," April replied, taking a seat at the table. She poured herself a glass of orange juice.

"Amy still sleeping?"

April nodded, sipping her juice. "Tired from travelling, I guess. I thought I'd take her to lunch at the diner later."

"Aren't you working?" Mrs White asked, frowning.

"I am," April explained. "But my shift doesn't start until later."

"So…," Mrs White rested her chin on an outstretched palm, her other hand making a circular motion with one finger. "How was yesterday's _date_."

April paused for a moment, her glass of juice poised a few centimetres from her lips. She set it back down on the table, gently biting her lip. "It was fine, mom…it was nice."

"_Nice_?" Mrs White questioned, her eyes raised in concern. "What does that mean?"

"Nothing like that, mom…yuck," April shuddered, not liking the thought of her mother having such assumptions about her.

"I take it, therefore, that your companion was the perfect gentleman," Mrs White asked expectantly, taking a swift sip from her coffee cup.

"The utmost," April nodded reassuringly, before looking down a little glumly. "Not even a handhold."

"Unexpected for one of those soldier boys," Mrs White conceded, cocking her head to one side. "Although I can't say that I'm not a little relieved. Don't worry, I'm sure he's just being a gentleman." 

"That's what I said!" April said, feeling relieved as she smiled a little.

"Nothing to worry about, I'm sure," Mrs White shrugged reassuringly. She chucked her daughter's chin affectionately. "Besides, it's nothing to worry about, not in the long run. You and Amy have bigger things to look forward to. New York-shaped things!"

"You're right," April sighed, resting her elbows on the table as she looked wistfully out of the window. She knew that her mother was right, and she was looking incredibly forward to going to New York in the fall with her sister. Still, her thoughts couldn't help but wander back to that brown-haired, dark-eyed soldier-in-training.

………………………

As the girls turned the corner towards Mimi's, Amy took a bobby pin from her pocket and deftly pinned back a loose tendril of hair into the chignon she'd pulled her hair up into. She looked at her sister teasingly. "So what did I do to deserve you buying me lunch?"

"Can't I treat my sister?" April put a hand to her chest, feigning offence.

Amy narrowed her eyes, laughing. "Aunt Mimi's letting us eat on the house, right?"

April gasped, feigning offence again. "I am offended that you would even…okay, yeah she is."

"I knew it," Amy laughed, snapping her fingers in triumph as they pushed open the door into the diner. "So really, then why did you bring me here?"

"So we can have that talk, of course," April nudged her sister playfully in the ribs.

"Right," Amy paused, biting her lip. She stiffened her posture, knowing that she owed it to her sister to tell her the truth. It would be difficult, but she had to do it.

The atmosphere inside was fairly laid-back, befitting of a hazy Sunday afternoon. Amy made a beeline for the booth in the centre of the diner. _The best seat in the house_, the girls had dubbed it since they were younger. Following in pursuit of her sister at a slower pace, April saw David sitting at the counter out of the corner of her eye. He'd looked up as the girls walked in and she caught his eye as she looked over at him. She couldn't help but smile adoringly at him, mid-stride. He gave her a small wave in return before following her to her table with his eyes, watching as she sat down across from Amy.

"_Best seats in the house_," Amy squealed in excitement, patting her hands off of the wooden table of the booth.

"What?" April asked distractedly, tearing her eyes away from David. She looked back at her sister. "Sorry, my mind was wandering there for a minute."

"Clearly," Amy said, giving her sister an amused look. She put a hand on the menu. "Same as usual?"

"Do you even need to ask?" April laughed, not even looking at the menu.

"I thought so," Amy said, putting a hand on each side of the table and hoisting herself to her feet. "I'll take care of it. Be right back."

Amy strode up to the counter, putting a hand up to get Ruthie's attention but pausing when she realised that she was serving someone else. She tapped her fingers absent-mindedly off of the counter, her eyes wandering over to find David looking over at her, the sound of her tapping having distracted him from his book. She recognise him as the handsome man from the night before. She looked down at her fingers, realising what she'd done, then stopped. She smiled apologetically at him. "Oh, I'm sorry for distracting you."

"No, no don't worry about it. I wasn't really concentrating anyway," he reassured her, offering her an awkward smile. "Nice to see you again."

"Nice to see you, too, David," She said, her finger involuntarily waggling in a waving motion. "Say, what're you readi-…"

"Wooooof," Ruthie appeared in between them, wiping her brow. "Sorry, Amy. We're a little backed-up today, Ernie the chef called in sick so Mimi's picking up the slack in the kitchen."

"Don't worry about it," Amy waved a hand dismissively. She shot an apologetic look at David. "Just two of the usual, Ruthie."

"Two cokes, two burgers and two fries," Ruthie rhymed off, making a note on her order pad.

"That's the one," Amy smiled, patting a hand firmly down on the counter.

"I'll bring it over when it's ready," Ruthie nodded, turning on her heel and making for the kitchen.

"Nice to see you again," Amy said to David, realising she was repeating herself. She smiled, a little embarrassed. "…again."

"Enjoy your lunch," He said with a chuckle, nodding politely at her as she made her way back towards April.

Amy took her seat again, her eyes widening in surprise as she looked at all of the sheets of paper that April had strewn across the table in her absence. "What is all this?"

"Sorry to spread them all out like this, but I just got too excited," April explained, her eyes glinting with anticipation. "These are just some things that came in from Sarah Lawrence while you were in New York."

"Oh," Amy said, her stomach flopping a little. "Really?"

"Yeah," April clapped her hands together in excitement. "Everything's here. They sent out induction information, that's these ones, not to mention dormitory information, calendars and, the best bit…class schedules."

"Oh, really? Class schedules…," Amy said in barely a whisper, gingerly taking the sheet of paper that April had thrust towards her.

"Well, it's a list of modules of the courses that you can take for literature. You have to pick five to make up all of your courses for the year. I already picked mine for history and politics. I looked at your literature ones, I hope you don't mind," April mused.

"Of course I don't mind," Amy said numbly, looking down at the list but not really taking any of it in.

"There are some there that I think you'll really like the sound of," April beamed. She gathered all of the papers together into a neat smile. "Anyway, you can have a look at these whenever you find the time."

Amy couldn't find any words for a moment, but then cleared her throat, conjuring some up. "Th…thanks."

"Are you okay?" April asked, looking at her sister with concern.

Amy quickly pulled herself together. "Oh, of course I am. All this just…just makes it all seem so much more real."

"Oh, I know," April beamed again, clapping her hands together. "Oh, Amy, I cannot _wait_ for us to get to New York. It's going to be so much fun!"

"It…it sure will be," Amy said, using all of her efforts to force an enthusiastic smile onto her face.

"So go on," April said, putting her elbows on the table and resting her head on her palms. "…talk to me."

"About what?" Amy played dumb.

April rolled her eyes. "Come on, Amy. Stop dancing around the issue. I wanna know why you came home so soon."

Amy swallowed hard. This was her moment. This was her moment to reveal to her sister everything that had happened to her in New York…and what her future held in store. She's resolved herself to tell her sister everything but, looking at the papers for Sarah Lawrence sitting in front of her on the table, she couldn't for the life of her bring herself to cause the excited smile to disappear from her sister's face. She frowned, biting her lip, feeling a lump rising in her throat. She cleared her throat, forcing herself to find some composure. She waved a dismissive hand. "Oh, it's nothing really, the family were just sort of…mean."

"Mean?" April arched an eyebrow, a worried look on her face. "Amy, did they do something…?"

"No, no," Amy quickly reassured her. "Nothing like that! They were just slave drivers, that sort of thing. Up at 6 in the morning and working as late as ten, you know."

"Oh, oh that does sound awful," April sympathised. "No wonder you wanted to come home."

"That's what it was," Amy nodded in agreement. "I just wanted to come home."

"Why so secretive though?" April asked, confused. "Why did you make me keep it quiet? Why didn't you just tell mom and dad."

"Oh…," Amy thought fast. "I guess I just wanted to surprise them. You know what I'm like, huh? I like to make an entrance."

"That's you alright," April smiled fondly, reaching across the table and taking one of her sister's hands, stroking it sympathetically. "Well, for what it's worth, I'm happy that you came home. Now we can look forward to our future…in New York!"

"Right…," Amy smiled, looking awkwardly down at the ground.

……………………………………

After forcing her way through the burger, which seemed to taste like cardboard as she'd been so distracted by the conversation which had just taken place, Amy pushed her plate away.

"Wow," April did the same with her own plate from across the table. "That was delicious! The drawback of working here is that I don't get to sample the cooking as much as I'd like…."

"If it were me I'd be taking sneaking fries in the kitchen," Amy joked.

"You know," April winked. "Something, just sometimes…I do."

Amy smiled.

April looked at the clock on the wall and, with a groan, forced herself to her feet. "Alright, guess I'd better start my shift. Gonna stick around a while?"

"For a while," Amy nodded, standing up. She motioned towards the door as she picked up the Sarah Lawrence papers. "I'm just…going to get a little fresh air after all of that food."

"Alright," April watched Amy walk away, certain that something was troubling her sister.

…………………………

Outside, Amy sat on the wooden bench by the door. She rested her head against the wall and, taking deep breaths, closed her eyes for a few moments, simply enjoying the quiet. Quiet it may have been in the street, but inside her head a million thoughts raced by, all struggling to get to the forefront of her mind. After a few moments, she opened her eyes and looked down at the paperwork her sister had given her. She picked up the sheet containing all of the courses that she had to pick from at Sarah Lawrence. She scanned down the list, her heart filled with regret as emotion took the upper hand on her and a flurry of tears began to trickle down her cheeks.

"Oh, sorry," a deep voice interrupted her thoughts. "I didn't know anyone was out here."

She looked over to see David about to spark up a cigarette. She quickly sat upright, her fingers hurriedly wiping the tears from her face. "Oh, it's alright David, I…."

He took a closer look at her, making out the visible tears in her eyes. He flushed with embarrassment. "Oh, I'm sorry to bother you. I'll…I'll give you a minute."

"No," She held up a hand, causing him to stop in his tracks. "No, it's alright, you don't have to go. You can stay and have your cigarette."

"Are you sure?" He asked doubtfully, never knowing what to do in the presence of a crying woman.

"Of course, take a seat," She motioned to her face. "This is just…silliness. Silliness is all it is."

"Anything I can help with?" He asked awkwardly, taking a seat on the other end of the bench.

"I wish you could," She shrugged her shoulders. "I really wish that you could."

"What do you have there?" He asked, motioning to the paper in her hands in a desperate attempt to change the subject.

"Class lists for Sarah Lawrence," She explained, leaning over and handing it to him. "I'm supposed to pick five."

"And what?" He said, trying to make a joke out the situation. "They didn't have one that you liked or something? No Dickens, that's it right?" 

She found herself laughing. "I don't like Dickens, but no, that's not it…"

"These look quite good," He said, pointing to one in particular. "Historical fiction, I took a course like that in my first semester at Harvard."

"Oh really?" She asked, interested. She sidled a little closer to him without realising that she was considerably closing the gap between them. "I think that I would've picked this one: _Women Writers_."

"_Would've_ picked?" David quizzed, his body warming at the feeling of her closing the gap between them. He added awkwardly. "Have you changed your major?"

"No," She said, the emotion coming back to her along with the lump in her throat. Another tear found its way out of her tear duct which she quickly brushed away. She could feel the information worming its way out of her mouth before she could stop it. "It's because I'm not going."

She clamped a hand over her mouth. Why had she just told him that?

"Not going?" He asked, looking over at her. "Not going at all?"

Before she knew what was happening, the information flowed freely from her mouth like a river. "No, I'm not going anymore."

"May I ask why not, if it's not too intrusive," He asked gently.

"Because I'm training to be a nurse," She said, again unable to stop the words from seeping out. "When I was in New York the war drive was everywhere, and I mean _everywhere_. It's all anyone talks about, and you can't help but let it get to you."

"I know," He nodded, lamenting on how he'd come to enrol himself in the paratroopers.

"Anyway, I got to know a group of girls through the family I was working as a governess for. They'd all enrolled in the Cadet Nurse Training Program and I was really moved by it. Anyway, one night we'd all had a little too much to drink and they persuaded me to enrol too. I only found out a few weeks ago that I got in," She continued, biting her lip nervously.

"Oh," David said, processing the information that she was throwing at him. "Well, congratulation, I suppose. Is it something that you want to do?"

"It absolutely is," She nodded enthusiastically. "I mean at first I was a little unsure because I'd enrolled on a drunken whim but it's such a good cause and we all have to do our bit for the war effort, right?"

"Ideally," He nodded, sensing that she needed the reassurance.

"I'm sorry," She said, unable to stop herself from laughing as she sat back in her seat and shaking her head in disbelief. "I don't know why I'm telling this to a perfect stranger."

"Well," He shrugged his shoulders, offering her a warm smile. "I know your name and you know mine…I guess that means that we're acquaintances, not strangers. Besides, sometimes it's easier to tell something to a stranger. Their reaction can't affect you as much when there's emotional link there."

"Acquaintances," She echoed, smiling as she caught his eye, reminding herself of how attractive he was. "I like that."

Losing himself in her eyes, he snapped himself back to reality by clearing his throat and fidgeting in his chair. "So…how did April take the news?"

Amy paled, remembering that April and David were friends. Had she made a mistake in telling him? Would he blab to her? Without thinking, she lurched forward and took his hands in her own, looking imploringly into his eyes. "I haven't told her yet, not her nor my parents. David you can't tell her what I've told you!"

David swallowed, not really taking in anything that she was saying, so focussed was he on the delicate, soft fingers encapsulated around his own rougher, larger ones. "You haven't told her?"

"I haven't found the right moment," She pleaded further. "She's so excited about us going to New York together that I have to wait to find the right moment so that I can let her down gently."

"My lips are sealed," He promised, looking down again at her hands on his.

She followed his gaze down to their interlocked hands and, raising her eyes with alarm, quickly pulled them away. "Sorry, I guess I got a little carried away with myself."

"I noticed," He joked, feeling a little cockiness as he looked up at her again. "Not that I particularly minded, of course."

She smiled back at him, sensing the mild flirtation in the air between them. She smiled coyly back at him. "Well I might hold your hand again…if you keep my secret."

"What secret?" He played along.

"Atta boy," She winked at him. She exhaled again, looking at him with concerned again. "Am I doing the right thing?"

He grimaced. "That's not really for me to say, Amy."

"But if it was you…," She pressed.

"Well, I _did_ leave Harvard to enlist in the paratroopers," He pointed out.

"So you sympathise with my decision?" She said with a little triumph in her voice.

"You want that in writing?" He joked, shaking his head.

"I think I'm doing the right thing," She said out loud, if only to reassure herself as much as anything else. "Sarah Lawrence will always be here, but the war is _now_."

"Right," He nodded in agreement.

"Right," She nodded, still trying to reassure herself. "So, even though I enrolled on a drunken whim…this is the right thing to do."

"Convinced yourself yet?" He teased her, patting her shoulder in an act of genuine reassurance. "You're doing the right thing. I'm sure that April will understand. If I've learned anything about her in the short time that I've known her it's that she's a decent girl. She'll see that it's something you need to do. Besides, remember what Hemingway said. _Always do sober what you'd do drunk. That'll teach you to keep your mouth shut_."

She burst out laughing. "No, I hadn't heard that one before, but I like it."

"Hemingway," David raised his hand dismissively as he threw his cigarette butt to the ground and standing up. "The man has a quote for every situation."

"Apparently so," She said, feeling butterflies in her stomach as she looked at him. She knew what that meant.

"Oh, that reminds me," He said, reaching into his inside pocket and producing the Hemingway book that April had leant him and holding it up in front of her. "I believe this belongs to you."

"Where'd you get that?" She asked, squinting to look at the cover.

"April lent it to me," He explained bashfully. "She said you wouldn't mind since you were in New York."

"Did she now?" Amy said playfully. "Well luckily I don't mind, so long as you pay me back somehow."

"I'll bear that in mind," He said flirtaciously, leaning forward and handing her the weathered, dog-eared book, their fingers touching again as he did so. After what he could have sworn was a lingering moment in which their fingers caressed each other, he stood back. "Well, I should head back on inside."

"Okay," She breathed, nodding at him.

"I'll see you inside if you come back in," He said, turning on his heel.

"Oh, David. Remember…," She said, calling him back. When he looked back she raised a finger to her lips, reminding him of his promise.

"My lips are sealed," He confirmed, flashing a last smile at her before making his way back inside the diner.

Alone again, she looked down at the book and the hand that had just accidentally brushed David's. It felt as though electricity were crackling through it. Electricity from his touch. _Uh oh_, she bit her lip anxiously. She knew what that and the butterflies in her stomach meant. This was an extra-added distraction that she simply didn't need on top of all of her other problems. Damn it!


	6. Chapter 6 Choices

**That Is How Long I Have Loved You: Chapter 6**

**Slight mistake from the last chapter: The date at the top shouldn't read Sunday 12****th****, it should read Sunday 17****th****. Sorry!**

**Happy Easter Sunday, everyone! Hope everyone has had a chocolate-filled Easter weekend! Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter, they were really, really helpful : ). **

**Hope you enjoy this instalment :D **

* * *

_**Sunday, September 17**__**th**__**, 1942- Toccoa**_

That same Sunday, a few hours later, Amy busied herself by talking to some of her old friends in the diner that she hadn't seen since her departure for New York. April, on the other hand, made her rounds of the tables, wiping the sticky soda stains and burger grease residue from the surfaces. Glamorous work, huh? She stopped by a central booth, inhabited by Bill and Ruthie, amongst others. She sighed in frustration as she had to work harder to lift the marks on the table. "Don't make it easy for me, do you?"

"Excuse me," Ruthie laughed. "You're at my beck and call today, I'll remind you. Since I covered your shift and all yesterday after your escapades in the library."

"_Escapades_," April laughed to herself, indicating to Ruthie to scoot over and taking a seat across from them, letting her head rest on Ruthie's shoulder in despair. "That would be giving yesterday far too much credit."

"Aww, poor thing," Ruthie stroked April's head sympathetically.

"Wanna know what I think?" Bill cut in from across the table, a glass in one of his hands.

"What, Bill?" April asked, raising her head upright. "What do you think?"

Bill opened his mouth to speak, but was promptly cut off by a sudden uproar of cheering from a nearby group of recruits, celebrating a good hand at cards. Bill curled his mouth in a frown as he shouted out to them. "Hey, fellas! Little less noise over there!"

One of the cheering party nearest to them turned round. Frank, it just so happened to be, faced them with an excited yet apologetic look on his face. "Sorry, Bill, but you gotta see…."

He stopped, his eyes set firmly on Ruthie, surprised to suddenly be face to face with her. He suddenly became fidgety on the spot. "Sorry. I, uh…I…."

He continued to stammer whilst Ruthie, too, averted her gaze, pretending to fixate on a nearby group of giggling girls.

"I gotta go…," Frank said quickly, making a swift exit.

Bill and April shared a glance at each other before casting their eyes onto Ruthie. Ruthie simply looked at them and shrugged. "What?"

"One day, Ruthie…," April waggled a finger at her. "You _will_ tell me what happened between you two."

"Damn right you will," Bill nodded, indicating at April. "…and then _April_ will tell _me_."

"Over my dead body," Ruthie shook her head firmly, eager to change the subject. "Anyone catch that radio broadcast last night?"

"Uh uh," Bill shook his head resolutely at her, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a dollar. He slid it across the table, letting it rest in front of Ruthie. "See that dollar? You can have that right now if you tell me what happened."

Ruthie didn't say anything, merely challenged him with her eyes and shook her head slowly from side to side.

Bill matched her challenging stare for a few seconds, before calmly reaching into his pocket and pulling out another dollar and sliding it across the table. "Two dollars."

Ruthie reached forward to the money and slid it back across the table towards him.

When April saw Bill reaching into his pocket yet again she sprang to her feet. "Geez we could be here all night, and I have customers to serve. Let me know if you get anythin' outta her, Bill."

"Will do," Bill jokingly saluted her.

April made her way back over to the counter only to find that the customers had dissipated in the process. With a sigh, she cooled her heels by leaning against the back of the counter, looking out into the diner. She was entirely aware of David sitting in his usual chair merely centimetres away. She folded her arms as she took sneaky glances at him out of the corner of her eye. He had his book propped open in front of him, yet his eyes looked elsewhere, focussed on a part of the wall. His eyes grew wider though as Amy neared approached, offering a smile to both as she rested her elbows on the counter.

"I'm headin' home," Amy announced.

"You're not staying until close?" April asked, feigning a pout.

"That's four hours away!" Amy shook her head, laughing. "No, I'm gonna head on home and take Rufus out for a walk."

"Alright, alright," April nodded. "See you when I get home."

"Don't be late," Amy beamed, teasing her sister. She cast a look towards Webster, offering him a shy smile. "Evening, David."

"Night, Amy," He said, turning in his chair to watch her as she walked briskly out of the diner. He didn't realise that he'd continued to watch her long until she disappeared into the distance. Didn't realise, that is, until April loudly cleared her throat.

"Your thoughts a little elsewhere tonight?" She asked, without actively meaning to.

"Huh, what?" He asked, snapping back to reality. Realising that she'd been watching him, he quickly righted himself in his chair, shrugging and offering her a slight smile. "Little bit."

"Penny for them…," She smiled.

"I don't see any pennies," He joked, shrugging his shoulders as if that was final. "…and I usually insist on cash up front."

"Darn," She clicked her fingers, joking. "Well, I could take it out of the tip jar but you'd have to promise not to tell my aunt Mimi."

"Keeping too many promises these days," He shook his head playfully. "I couldn't take on another one."

"Oh, yeah?" She asked, her eyes filled with intrigue. "What secrets are you keeping?"

"Well…," He took a deep sigh. "…it's a secret."

She rolled her eyes, emitting a small laugh. She picked up his book and scanned the title. "Seriously, though, why can't you read…_Great Expectations_?"

"Just thinking, that's all," He said, shrugging and looking slightly bashful.

"Thinking about…?" She pressed.

"You don't wanna know," He said, shaking his head but then leaning forward and chuckling. "Although technically you're the perfect person to talk to about this."

"Is that so?" She asked, butterflies flooding her stomach. "Go on then. Here I am."

"You sure?" He asked, eyeing her doubtfully.

"Positive," She said, pulling a counter stool round to her side of the counter and sitting opposite him. "Ok, shoot…"

"Okay, well I should warn you first of all that I'm not very good at this…," He said, holding his hands up defencelessly. "but I'll do my best."

"I'm sure you'll say it perfectly," April twiddled with a strand of her hair in anticipation of the admission that he might be about to make to her.

"Alright well, this might sound a little corny but what the hell, I'll just say it," He said, bracing himself. "Do you think it's easy to tell when someone is right for you?"

"As in the opposite sex?" She asked, biting her lip.

He nodded.

"God, yes," She nodded firmly, her anticipation building.

"I think so, too," He nodded in agreement. "Do you think that telling that person how you feel is the best thing to do when we're in a situation like ours, where we don't know where we'll be one day to the next."

"David," She said, finding the stones from somewhere within her to reach out a hand and pat his hand which lay outstretched on the table. "I think you should _always_ say what you feel."

"Really? You really think so?" He asked a little doubtfully. "You don't think it's better to wait?"

She shook her head. "You should never leave things unsaid."

"I didn't think so, either," He smiled. "He tapped his head with his index finger. "You and me, April, are on the same wavelength."

She smiled, her heart caught in her throat. _Finally_, after weeks and week of waiting him to tell him how he felt about her the moment was finally here. She asked tentatively. "So, if I may ask, who is this young lady?"

"Well, I suppose that would be in my next question," He said, chuckling slightly.

"Okay," She said, sitting upright and mentally preparing herself to say yes to whatever date he was about to ask her on.

He paused for a moment, before asking the question. "Your sister…is she _involved_ with anyone?"

It took April a moment to register what he'd just said. She felt certain that she must have misheard him. She smiled at him, blinking. "I'm sorry?"

"Amy," He repeated nervously. "Does she have a…you know. Is she with anyone?"

April's face fell. If there had been a light, lulling orchestra of violins playing as their conversation built itself up then this would've been the moment in which they came to an abrupt stop. "Excuse me?"

"Don't make me say it a third time," He tried to joke, shifting awkwardly in his chair.

"I'm sorry," She apologised, certain that she could hear her heart beating in her ears as her head began to pound. She felt as though she'd just had the wind knocked out of her sails.

"Have I upset you?" He asked, placing a hand on her shoulder in concern.

She couldn't help but jump back a little at his touch, trying to process everything in her mind. "No, no of course not."

"You look like I have," He said honestly.

She shook her head, trying not to give away her emotions. "Sorry, no. I'm fine, it's just…I'm a little confused. David, you only met her yesterday. How could you have developed…_feelings_ in that time."

"Well, yes I only met her yesterday technically," He said, clearing his throat a little as he shifted his gaze to the window. "But you, April, you've been telling me about her for weeks now, showing me photographs and building her up in my head. You talked to me about how smart she was and about how she liked to read. You showed me pictures of this beautiful, beautiful girl. You lent me her books and, when I was reading, I noticed that she put little annotations in the margins. I do that too, April! I guess I built her up in my head as this perfect woman. I thought I was stupid though, because surely no one is _that_ perfect. Then I met her yesterday and within five minutes of speaking to her I could see that she was everything I thought and more." He stopped, sensing he was being a little too sentimental. "I'm sorry, now _that_ was a little corny." 

April had to swallow the lump in her throat which felt as though it were the size of a golf ball. She was completely floored. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing would come out. The only thought which resounded in her mind was: _This is my fault. I brought this on myself._ Aware that he was waiting on her to say something, all that she could muster was. "That's nice."

"Nice," He said, chuckling a little. "I was hoping that you'd be a little more excited than that."

"No, I am," She said, blatantly lying. She forced a smile on her face. "I'm really happy for you."

"I knew you would be," He said, letting out a reassured sigh. He looked at her appreciatively. "You've really looked out for me since I got to Toccoa, you know, refilling me coffee cup and taking me to the library. You've been a really good friend, April."

That was another tough one for her to swallow. "Thanks."

"So…," He cast her a hopeful glance. "I know it's only been a day since _she_ met _me_ but you don't happen to know or at least get the impression that she might...kinda like me?"

"I honestly have no idea," She said, taking at least a little pleasure from being able to say that.

"You couldn't feel her out for me?" He coaxed. "But be subtle, of course."

Heavy-hearted, she pointed to the name badge on her apron. "I'm here to serve aren't I. Excuse me, David. I need to get back to work."

…………………………

After struggling through the remaining hours of her shift, April trudged home, her feet feeling heavy like iron. A million thoughts raced through her head as she walked up the stairs to her front door. She hadn't many crushes (she supposed that's what it should be called) throughout her life. Her real love had always been left for her photography. With David, however, she'd felt all of the little things that one is supposed to feel when developing feelings for another person. What's more, she really thought that he'd felt the same. How could she have gotten it so wrong? Her thoughts where invaded by the sound of laughter coming from the family room as she walked into the house. She shut the door, causing a gentle thud to permeate the house.

"April, April is that you?" Mrs White's voice called out.

"It's me, Mom," She called back.

"We're in the sitting room," Mrs White called back. "Come on through."

April trudged though, lingering by the doorway as she watched her whole family sitting around the dining table playing cards.

"How was work, honey?" Mrs White asked, turning her head round to look at her daughter. She frowned. "April, are you alright?"

April swallowed a lump in her throat again as her gaze settle on Amy, who beamed back at her. She cleared her throat. "I'm fine. Just a busy day, that's all."

"Come play," Amy said, beckoning her over to the table. "We've almost finished this game. We'll deal you in for the next one."

April simply shook her head. "No thanks. I'm, um, really tired. I think I'll just head up to bed. Night, everyone."

……………………………………………

_**Tuesday 19**__**th**__** September, 1942- Toccoa**_

The rain battered on the windows outside of the offices of the Toccoa Enquirer. Quite befitting of April's mood as she sat inside, staring absent-mindedly out of the window at the rain beating off of it in waves. She'd been unable to stop thinking about Amy and David since Sunday, and it was clearly taking its toll on her. Since Sunday evening, she hadn't been able to bring herself to say more than a few words to Amy, busying herself with work, and she worried that it was starting to show. It wasn't right for her to punish her sister for something that she'd had no control over, and she couldn't even be sure that Amy felt the same way. She knew David had charged her with the mission of finding out that very fact, but it was a conversation that she couldn't bring herself to have with her twin. It was a real pity. The sound of the door opening loudly behind her snapped her back to reality. She visibly jumped.

"Did I scare you?" Marv asked apologetically, closing the door behind him.

"No, Marv. I was just miles away, sorry," She bit her lip, quickly busying herself to look as though she'd been engrossed in her work.

"How are you getting on arranging those photos?" he asked, putting his hands on his hips as he stood behind her to observe her work. He frowned. "Isn't this the way they were to start with?"

"Um…," She fingered the photos uneasily. She sighed, admitting defeat. "Sorry, Marv. I'm not really with it today."

"I noticed," He teased. He patted her shoulder sympathetically. "Why don't you finish early today? Go home and rest up. We're not exactly busy here today."

"You don't mind?" She asked, then paused. "Actually, I think I'd rather be here than home to be honest."

"Suit yourself," He said, gathering p the photographs that he'd given her to work with. "This can wait though. I'd like to talk with you if you've got a minute."

"Oh really?" She asked, sitting up in her chair as Marv took a seat opposite her. "Is there a problem with my work?"

"No, no," He shook his head reassuringly at her. "No problem at all. Quite the opposite, if I'm honest."

"Oh?" She asked, intrigued. "What is it, Marv?"

"Well, I hope that you don't mind that I acted without asking your permission," He said, casting her an apologetic glance. "But do you know _Epoch Magazine_?"

"Of course I do," She laughed. "It's one of the country's bestselling magazines."

"Well, the head of their photography department is a good friend of mine," He said, scratching his chin. "I don't know if you know of Judy Orr but…."

April raised her eyebrows. "Of course I've heard of her!"

"Really?" Marv frowned.

"Are you kidding me?" April near-gushed. "She's my inspiration! She's one of the pioneering figures of female photography."

"Which she never tires of telling me," Marv rolled his eyes. "Anyway, her departments has had a bit of a shake up in light of recent events, with many of the workers enlisting and so on and so forth."

"Yes…," April frowned, unsure where this was going.

"Well, she's quite excited about it, if I'm honest," He explained further. "It's that time of her to take on apprentices and interns and, for the first time, her company have given her leeway to take on female apprentices. Now, I hope you don't mind, but I sent her some copies of the photos that you showed me last week of the soldiers in the diner."

"You did not," April whispered, putting a hand to her mouth in a gasp.

"I did," Marv confirmed with a nod. "They were excellent, April. I knew she'd think so, too. Evidently, she did, because she called me this morning and told me that she loved them."

"You're lying," April shook her head in disbelief.

"I'm really not," He said, laughing a little at her reaction. "And I have to tell you that, at her request, there's an apprenticeship waiting for you in New York City starting before the end of the year."

For the second time that week, April had no words. She literally had no words. She blinked, looking at Marv as though he were speaking gibberish. Finally she made out. "A chance to work under Judy Orr…"

"Of course," Marv continued. "I did tell her that your plans were taking you to Sarah Lawrence this summer. She asked me if there was any way that you could be convinced otherwise."

"Sarah Lawrence," April whispered. She snapped back to reality with that statement. "Damn."

"Out of curiosity, _is_ there any chance that you could be talked out of it?" Marv propositioned.

She frowned. "Marv, I promised my sister that we'd be starting Sarah Lawrence together in the fall. She's counting on me."

Marv shook his head, looking down. "I appreciate the sisterly bond, April, really I do. But this is a chance to work _Judy Orr_ at Epoch Magazine!"

April put her head in her hands. "I don't know what to say! I literally don't know what to say! I don't even know if my parents would let me."

"You're 19, aren't you?" He squinted at her.

"I don't think I can, Marv," She bit her lip. "I have commitments."

He shook his head resolutely. "Don't say no this, April. Not yet, anyway. Judy's sending some more information about the apprenticeship for you in the mail. Wait until then to decide and think it over."

……………………………………….

_**Wednesday 20**__**th**__** September, 1942- Toccoa**_

As the clock struck 9p.m, Ruthie shut the door to the diner and bolted the lock with a happy sigh. She looked out into the empty diner. "Well, this is just the best part of my day."

"Hmmm?" April said, absent-mindedly sweeping the floor. "Did you say something?"

Ruthie eyed her suspiciously. "Would you even have known if I did?"

"What?" April said, screwing her nose up in confusion as she set the broom down and began to pick up dirty plates from the tables.

"What's wrong with you today?" Ruthie asked, a hand on either side of her hips. "You've been acting strangely all day."

"I'm fine," April said a little firmly and a little snappily, lifting a stack of plates from a table and, in her frustration, accidentally dropping them all to the floor, the sound of breaking china reverberating around the diner. "Damn it!"

"Hey, it's alright," Ruthie said, rushing to April's side as she attempted to pick up the shards of ceramic from the floor. "No need to get yourself in a flap over some broken plates…well, not if your Aunt owns this diner, anyway."

April didn't say anything.

"That was a joke, in case you didn't see that," Ruthie said matter-of-factly, gathering up pieces of broken plate.

"I'm sorry," April sighed, gingerly gathering up pieces.

Ruthie bit her lip. "Just tell him how you feel, for the love of…."

"What?" April asked, surprised.

"I take it that's why you've been in a stinker of a mood these past few days," Ruthie guessed, shrugging her shoulder. "Honestly, you're making too much of this. All that you need to do is tell him…."

"He doesn't want me, Ruthie," April blurted out, looking down and setting down them small pile of broken crockery on the floor as she sat down on the floor.

Ruthie rolled her eyes. "Geez, don't be so dramatic. Just cos he didn't hold your hand at the library doesn't mean…"

"He likes _Amy_," April insisted, blurting the information and shaking her head in despair as she did so.

"Come again?" Ruthie asked, sitting down on the floor next to her best friend. "What the hell are you talking about."

"It's true," April insisted. "Amy."

"April, why would you even think that?" Ruthie shook her head, not believing her. "She showed up yesterday. How could you even come to that conclusion?"

"How? Because he told me, that's how!" She cried.

"Oh, he told you that did he?" Ruthie stated, a touch of sarcasm in her voice.

"He did actually, Ruthie," April said firmly. "And the best part is…its all my fault!"

"How?"

"Because I didn't shut up about her! I talked on and on and on about how smart she was, how funny she was and how they like all of the same writers! I played up his dream girl! Not to mention showing him a dozen pictures of her!"

"She _is_ photogenic," Ruthie reasoned.

"Thanks," April rolled her eyes.

"Sorry, sorry," Ruthie grinned sheepishly. She sighed. "Geez, they say soldiers fall in love fast."

April threw her hands up in despair. "I showed him how perfect they were for each other!"

"You know," Ruthie scratched her chin in thought. "I never thought before about what a pair of bookworms they both are. They actually _are_ pretty compatible."

"**Ruthie**," April glared at her friend.

"Sorry," Ruthie grimaced. Her face softened as she beheld her friend. She reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. "Oh, April. I'm so sorry. Does Amy know?"

"I haven't spoken to her yet. I can't bring myself to," April sighed. "The best part is, though, that he asked me to find out how she feels about him."

"Kiddin me?! What a mook," Ruthie said, feeling angry on her friend's behalf. "Surely he could tell how you felt about him? Everyone else could!"

"Honestly, Ruthie, I don't think that he did," She said honestly. "He said that I was such a great _friend_."

"Ouch," Ruthie bit her lip. "You're not seriously thinking of telling her though, are you?"

"You don't think I should?"

"You can't set up your sister with someone you've fallen head over heels for!" Ruthie said, staring at April in disbelief.

"Part of me thinks so too," April shrugged, her heart heavy. "She's my sister, though and, much as it kills me to say it, they are compatible."

"No, April," Ruthie stressed, worrying for her friend. "What does it even matter? You'll both be in New York soon!"

"But if they _are_ right for each other, then I want her to be happy," April admitted. "After everything that happened with that slimy GI who cheated her…she deserved a little happiness."

"I know, I know," Ruthie said. "You're absolutely right, April, but _you_ deserve to be happy too."

"But he doesn't want me, Ruthie," She shook her head. "There's nothing I can do about that!"

April shocked herself at finally saying those words out loud. _He doesn't want me_. It really hit home and, swallowing a lump in her throat, she put her head in her hands.

Ruthie leaned over and enveloped her best friend in a hug. She didn't say anything else, just rocked April back and forth. It was a mutual understanding. There was nothing more to be said and all that was left was to comfort the girl in pain. Ruthie tried to lighten the mood. "Ok then, in the interest of putting a smile back on the face of yours…I'll let you know what happened with Frank…."

"Really?" April's eyes lit up.

"Really," Ruthie replied, sighing heavily. "But don't tell Bill. I think I can get him to up his offer to ten dollars before I have to spill anything to him…." 


	7. Chapter 7 DRI: Dog Related Injury

**That Is How Long I Have Loved You: Chapter 7**

…………………………………………………………………………………………**.**

_**Thursday, 21**__**st**__** September, 1942- Tocco. Georgia**_

"And that's why it's important to always give readers their say," Hank said, leaning back in his chair and tapping the tips of his fingers together.

"Mm hmm," April said, absent-mindedly nodding along, her pen poised against her notebook but not writing anything down.

Hank cast her an amused look before looking up at the clock. He clapped his hands together. "Well, that's all for today."

"Okay," She said, picking up her knapsack to pack her belongings away.

Hank paused for a moment, wary of broaching the subject. He knew, however, that it did _have_ to be broached. "Marv told you about the internship, I take it?"

She looked up at him, a knowing expression on her face. "We both know that he did and, _please Hank_, don't start."

He raised his hands defencelessly. "I'm not starting anything. I just hope you know what a good opportunity this is for you."

"Of course, I know," She said a little snappily, a pained look in her eyes. "Do you know, though, how competitive it is to get a place at Sarah Lawrence?"

"Not as competitive as trying to get an internship with Judy Orr, I'd wager…and you didn't even have to work for it," He said, pointedly. "I'm telling you, flat out, April, that you will _never_ get a better entry into the photography industry than this."

"I promised my sister," She said quietly, shrugging her shoulders as though she didn't know what to do.

He was getting a little frustrated by that point. "Damn it, look outside! The world is at war! There's never been a more exciting time for photography and investigative journalism. Sarah Lawrence will always be there…after the war and beyond."

She looked at him with regret in her eyes and he could tell that she really, really wanted it. She explained. "Hank, I _love_ photography. You know I do. I love my sister more, though, and I refuse to let her down."

Hank sighed. "It's kind of annoying that you can be so stubborn when you want to be."

She managed a small chuckle. "I'd say that it was more of an admirable trait."

"Mmmm," Hank looked at her doubtfully.

"Anyway," She said, putting on a brave smile. "I'd better get going."

…………………

April walked out of the office of the Toccoa Enquirer, sighing at the sight of the fat raindrops plopping onto the ground. She made out the figure of Amy standing at the bottom of the steps, her frame shielded by a giant umbrella.

"What are you doing here?" April called down, frowning as she caught her sister's attention.

Amy smiled up at her from the foot of the stairs. "You left without an umbrella this morning. I didn't want you to get wet."

April couldn't help but smile at her generosity. She zipped down the stairs, hopping under the protection of the umbrella. They began to walk in the direction of home. "Thanks."

"No problem," Amy smiled. The girls walked in an awkward silence for the following minute or so, until Amy piped up. "Are you okay?"

"What?" April asked, taken aback.

Amy smiled a little, trying not to turn the atmosphere too serious. "I just haven't seen a lot of you this week. If you're not here you're in the diner. Startin' to think you might be avoiding me or something."

"Don't be silly," April said, looking away. "I haven't been avoiding you."

"No?" Amy said, digging her sister in the ribs to highlight that she was trying to keep the situation light.

"Of course I'm not," April lied. "I've just been busy with the internship."

"I hoped that's all it was," Amy said, smiling contentedly as their feet pounded the rain-soaked road. "We should make time for each other. I miss you."

"I miss you too," April said, feeling a tugging at her heart strings, an instant reminder of how much she loved her sister.

"I've been meaning to talk to you actually," Amy said, inhaling sharply, about to unload her secret onto her sister.

"I have to talk to you too," April said, dodging to avoid a puddle.

"Oh?" Amy asked, seizing the opportunity to buy some time before she had to tell her sister the truth. "Well, after you then…"

"Well," April said, inwardly thinking of how to word what she was about to say. "It was just a chat really."

"A chat?"

"I just wanted to ask how you've been getting on since everything that happened before you went to New York with…," April began.

"Don't say his name," Amy laughed, rolling her eyes. "I don't even want to think about that mook."

"You've gotten over it then?" April asked tentatively. "I would've asked in my letters but I didn't think it was the best way to ask, you know, through a letter."

"Oh," Amy said, waving a hand dismissively. "Without a doubt! Don't get me wrong, it hurt when he cheated on me but…I'm past it now." 

"What about New York?" April quizzed. "Meet any tall, dark strangers out there?"

"A few," Amy joked. "No one in particular though."

"Shame," April mused. "I want…I want you to be happy and meet someone new."

"Look at you, getting' all sentimental," Amy said, squeezing her sister's arm affectionately. "I tell you, though, I think I made the wrong move heading off to the city. Trust Toccoa to be overrun with a bunch of good-looking soldiers the minute that I leave."

"The _scenery_ isn't too bad these days, huh?" April laughed along.

"Not bad at all," Amy smiled.

"Have you, um…," April swallowed a lump in her throat. "…seen anyone that you like?"

Amy bit her lip, David's face instantly coming to the forefront of her mind. "A couple. Your friend Bill is handsome, sure. _David_, too, of course."

The word April had been dreading. She felt tingles make their way down her arms as the words left Amy's mouth. _Well that's that, then_, she thought to herself. "David, really?"

"Sure," Amy said a little enthusiastically. "Tall, dark…and those soulful brown eyes. Besides, how many fellas have I ever met in my life who read Hemingway?"

"Not many," April replied, pointlessly answering the rhetorical question.

"Try none at all," Amy said with a sugary laugh. "That one has definitely caught my eye, all right."

"I see," April said simply. She forced herself to smile. "That's nice."

"I suppose someone's already snapped him up?" Amy asked.

April shook her head. "Not that I know of. He mostly sits in the diner reading a book, not flirting."

Amy smiled happily, shaking her shoulders in appreciation, too immersed in her happiness at the thought to notice her sister's anguished face. "See, I like that. It's deep, y'know."

"Mmmm hmmm," April said tersely.

"Not that it really matters anyway, I suppose," Amy shrugged.

"Since we're off to Sarah Lawrence?"

Amy felt her muscles tighten at the mention of Sarah Lawrence. "Uh…yeah, of course because of Sarah Lawrence."

The girls walked in silence for a few seconds until April piped up. "So…what did you want to talk to _me_ about?"

Amy sighed, knowing that her bottle had severely crashed. She shook her head, thinking on the spot. "Oh, I've forgotten. I'm sure it'll come back to me."

………………………………………….

_**Saturday, 22**__**nd**__** September, 1942- Toccoa, Georgia**_

By that weekend, fall sunshine had returned to Toccoa, casting out the rain with its return. Amy decided to take advantage of the good weather by taking herself off to the park with Rufus. As they neared the large expanse of green that the park had to offer, the dog became excitable on his lead.

"Alright, alright," Amy laughed, freeing him from the restraints of his leash. "I'll let you loose."

She produced a ball from her pocket and threw it for him to fetch. "Go get it, boy!"

A little further down the park, David strolled through the trees, his hands jammed into his pockets as he walked hurriedly through the park with his head down. He felt like such an idiot. _What am I doing here?,_ he wondered to himself. Truth was he'd been at the diner and, having looked forward all week at training to the prospect of seeing Amy at the weekend, he'd been disappointed to not find her there. Needless to say his legs had taking him wandering after a tipoff from one of the serving staff as to her whereabouts. Feeling every inch the chump, he ambled through the tree-lined path towards a clearing.

Amy, on the other hand, welcome the return of Rufus who proudly returned the ball to her. He set it down at her feet, cocking his head to one side as he looked at her. She crouched down to pat his head. "Good boy! Good boy! Aww, Rufus. Am I not making this game challenging enough for you?"

He looked at her as if to say "No, no you're not."

"Alright then," She said, bringing her hand back and raising her leg slightly as though she were pitching for the Red Sox. She threw the ball with a force that even she was impressed with, and she hadn't been the sportiest of girls in school. She watched the ball fly off into the distance as Rufus hightailed after it. "Go get it, Rufus!"

David, walking out into the clearing, was so immersed in his own thoughts that he didn't even see the ball flying through the air. He didn't see it until it was too late, anyway. What had caught his eye to arouse his suspicion was the sight of a dog tearing towards him with desperation in its eyes. _What the_, he thought, stepping back. A flash of panic shot through him as he considered that the dog might be rabid. The next thing he saw out of the corner of his eye was the ball shooting straight for his forehead. _Smack_, he took a few steps back as the ball made contact with his forehead, instantly sparking a shooting pain through him. As he put a hand to the afflicted area, he caught sight of the dog still tearing towards him. He only had enough time to say _Oh Sh-_ before the animal had leapt at him, sending him flying backwards, landing on his back on the grass with a loud thud. The next thing he saw were the clouds in the sky above him. Suddenly a gentle, soft but above all recognisable voice broke through.

"Rufus! Rufus no!" the voice came again, nearing every time.

Suddenly, Amy's face appeared above him, peering down at him with concern.

He was so taken aback that all he could think to utter was. "It's David, not Rufus."

She knelt down by his side, placing a hand on his shoulder and helping him into a sitting position. "No, Rufus is the dog. My goodness, David, I am _so_ sorry. I threw the ball a little hard and I didn't see you coming out from the path."

"It's…it's fine…," he said, slightly dazed as he put a hand to his forehead. "Am I bleeding?"

"A little bit," Amy said, grimacing at him apologetically. She pulled her handkerchief from her pocket, holding it to his forehead to stem the blood flow. "I'm sorry, I don't really know what I'm doing here with this cut."

"And you're going to be a nurse?" He joked.

"A nurse _cadet_," She retorted pointedly, pressing the handkerchief into his cut a tiny bit rougher, causing him to wince in pain. "_Sorry_."

"Point taken," he said, smiling slightly.

Her brief smile transformed back into a worried one. "Gosh, David. I really am sorry, I feel terrible."

"Don't worry about it," He shook his head dismissively, trying to appear as macho as possible and pretend that there wasn't a shooting pain rattling its way through his head.

"No, really. If there's anything I can do to make this up to you then just name it," She said, looking earnestly into his dark eyes.

He looked back at her, enjoying the feeling of her arm around his shoulders, the other dabbing at his forehead. She looked so pretty when she was worried. Now perhaps it was a side effect of being dazed from the hit that made him utter his next words (at least, that's how he'd explain it to himself over the following years). "Come to a movie with me?"

She sat back a little, surprised. "Did…did you just ask me out?"

"Depends," He said, biting his lip. "on your answer."

"Alright, then," She laughed. "I'll go to a movie with you."

"Then yes I did just ask you out," He replied, relieved.

"Right now?" She asked.

"I don't see why not," He nodded, pointing to his forehead. "Well, except maybe for this."

"I have to take the dog home, anyway," She said, scrambling to her feet and holding out a hand to him. "I'm sure we have a bandage or something to fix that up properly for you."

…………………………….

The pair turned the corner towards the White household.

"So we're agreed," David said, still holding Amy's handkerchief to his forehead. "If anyone from my company asks…."

"You got the injury protecting me from a rabid dog," Amy finished with a smile, holding onto Rufus' leash with one hand.

"Exactly," He nodded in satisfaction.

As they stopped outside the Whites' front gate they jumped back a bit in surprise as Mrs White's head popped up from behind the shrubbery. "Amy?"

"Mom!" Amy put a hand to her chest. "You scared the life out of me! What are you doing?"

"Gardening," Mrs White said, holding up her hand to reveal a pair of pruning shears. She eyes David suspiciously. "Who is this young man, Amy?"

"This is David, Mom," She said, doing the necessary introduction. "Mom, David. David, Mom."

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs White," David said politely, holding his free hand out towards her.

Mrs White shook it, indicating to his forehead. "Nasty graze you have there."

"Rufus' fault, I'm afraid," Amy laughed. "Do we have any gauze or anything in the house, Mom? We just popped back to drop Rufus off and get some gauze for David's graze and then we're off to the movies. "

"In the cupboard next to the stove," Mrs White said, indicating for Amy to pop inside and get them, which she did.

Alone, David grinned sheepishly at Mrs White. "I'm so to just turn up here, like this."

"That's alright," She said, looking at him. "One of the troops from the training camp, I take it?" 

"Yes, that's right, ma'am," He nodded.

"And you just met my daughter in the park today for the first time?" She continued her barrage of questions.

"Oh, no ma'am," He reassured her. "I met her a few weekends ago in the diner. I know April, too."

"Oh, really? Did you meet her in the diner, too?"

"Yes, ma'am. She's been very helpful to me since I've been here, ma'am," He complimented her.

"Oh is that so? In what way?" Mrs White stared at him through suspicious eyes.

"Um," He squirmed under the pressure of her stare. "She lent me her library card so that I could borrow some books. It gets a little boring over at the camp sometimes so its good to have a book around."

Mrs White's eyes raised in surprise. "_You're_ the young man who went to the library with April?"

"Yes, ma'am," He nodded.

Mrs White couldn't quite believe her ears. This young man was attempting to date _both_ of her daughters at once? She wouldn't stand for that. Of course she had entirely the wrong end of the stick, but she wouldn't figure that out until later. She stared at this young man with contempt but, staying level headed, decided that she would use it as an opportunity to show him up for the cad he was in front of her daughters.

"Here we go," Amy reappeared holding a small strip of gauze. 

"Amy," Mrs White piped up.

"Yes, Mom?"

"I'd like your gentleman friend here to come for dinner next weekend," She announced.

Amy's eyes grew wide. "No, Mom. That's a lovely offer but…that's really not necessary."

"Come now," Mrs White flashed a smile at the slightly perturbed looking soldiers. "I'm sure he'd love to come, wouldn't you David?" 

Webster stiffened himself up, sensing that he was being tested. He smiled politely, nodding his head. "I'd love to, ma'am."

"Then it's settled," Mrs White nodded, casting a warning look at him. "Have fun at the movies, you two."

……………………………………..

After the movie, Amy and David sauntered out of the movie theatre, feeling the evening breeze hit their faces.

"That was a long movie," Amy observed, looking around her. "It's dark out, already."

"Wasn't it?" He nodded in agreement, casting her a sheepish glance. "Sorry that my hand _accidentally_ grazed against yours during the uh…movie."

"Oh, I really didn't mind," She said, smiling as she cast him a knowing glance. "…and I'm sorry that I _accidentally_ grabbed your hand during the scary part."

"Oh, that's absolutely not a problem," He played along. "Don't normally get scary moments in romance movies."

"No, you don't," She had to stop herself from laughing. "Strange, wasn't it?"

He patted his stomach. "Well, I'm famished. How about you?"

"Starving," She nodded, sensing what was coming.

"Let me buy you dinner at the diner?" He asked, offering her his arm.

"That would be lovely," She said, graciously accepting his arm as they began to walk down the street. "I feel bad, though, letting you buy me all of this stuff when you're the one with the graze on your head."

"Don't worry," He joked. "I might have concussion. You should take advantage of it whilst you can."

"Maybe I'll have dessert, too, in that case," She smiled.

"So," he said, testing the waters by reaching out a hand and placing it over the hand which she had draped over his outstretched arm. He gave it a gentle stroke, sending butterflies through her. "Anything I should know before I come for dinner next weekend?"

"Oh my," She put her free hand to her cheeks, shaking her head. "I am _so_ sorry about that, David. My mother is just a nightmare when it comes to this sort of thing. I can get you out of it if you don't feel comfortable."

"No," He shook his head. "I'd like to come."

"Really?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Of course," He nodded. "I don't think your mom likes me very much, though."

"Don't take it personally," She gave out a nervous chuckle. "She's taken a stand against you soldiers in general since I have a, um, _bad experience_ with one a few months back."

"A bad experience, huh?" He asked, intrigued. "You'll need to tell me all about that one sometime."

"If you're lucky, maybe I will," She cast him a flirtacious look as they walked into the bustling diner.

As soon as they'd entered the diner, they caught the attention of April, who was serving behind the counter. Her face fell as she set eyes on the couple, their arms linked. She forced herself to smile, however, as they made their way over to talk to her.

"Hey, April," Amy beamed at her sister.

"…hi," She said, trying to appear nonchalant. "So, what have you two been up to all day."

"Well, we've had the funniest day," Amy explained with a laugh. "I was walking Rufus in the park and we were playing fetch. Anyway, I threw the ball a little too hard and it hit David square on the forehead, as you can see from this little graze on his head. He just happened to walking down the other end of the park."

David's eyes met Amy's for a brief second and the couple shared an amused look before turning their attention back to April. He tutted jokingly. "So much for telling people that I was protecting you from a rabid dog."

"April _knows_ that Rufus isn't rabid," Amy rolled her eyes. "Anyway, David asked me to the movies to make up for it."

"Oh, you've been to the movies?" April said, folded her arms and looking at the floor. "That's…that's nice. So now you're in here for dinner?"

"I offer the full package on a date," David smiled proudly.

He'd uttered a word that cut right to April's heart: _date_. At the same time, however, the assertion that it had, in fact, been a date caused Amy to break out into a smile. She excitedly mouthed the word_ date_ to her sister, who could only smile back at her with sad eyes. "Why don't you two take a seat. I…I'll come and take your order in a few minutes."

"Wait, I haven't told you the funniest part yet," Amy waved her hands in protest. "We stopped by the house to drop Rufus off and get some gauze for David and Mom was in the garden. Well, you know how she is about soldiers ever since…well, _you_ _know_. Anyway, she's insisted that David come for dinner next weekend. How awkward is that! Can you believe it?"

"Very awkward," April said monotonously, meeting David's eyes for a painful second before having to look elsewhere.

"I'll be there, though. I'm sure that I can win your mother over," He joked, pointing to a free booth. "Hey, there's a table."

April watched as they ambled off to the booth, arm-in-arm. She felt as if she'd just been winded. As the couple made their way past the counter, they caught the attention of Bill, who'd been nursing a scotch on one of the counter stools. He did a double take when he saw that it was Amy who David was leading towards a free table. He looked over at April, shooting her a look of confusion. She merely shrugged at him and, her face crushed with defeat, turned her back to him and pretended to be doing something.

That didn't wash with Bill. He liked to know what was happening and hated being left in the dark. He caught the attention of Ruthie, who walked by with some dirty plates. "Hey, Ruthie."

"Yeah?" She asked, setting the heavy plates on the counter and wiping her brow. "What is it, Bill?"

"When the hell did that happen?" He asked, indicating to the booth where Amy and David sat.

"When did what happen?" Ruthie asked, following Bill's gaze to the couple. She raised her eyebrows as she looked at them. "Oh, no. Has April seen those two yet?"

"Yeah, they spoke to her when they came in," He scratched his chin in confusion. "Did I miss somethin' here? When did that happen?"

"A hell of a long time ago on his part apparently," Ruthie said dryly, shaking her head with disdain. "Poor April, to have her face rubbed in it like this."

Bill called over. "Hey, April."

April quickly wiped at her wet eyes before turning back around. "Yes, Bill?"

He jerked his head in the direction of their booth. "I, uh…sorry to hear about…y'know."

She put on a brave front, simply shrugging her shoulders. "She's my sister. I want her to be happy, of course. Um…if you'll excuse me, I think I'm going to take my fifteen-minute break."

Bill and Ruthie watched her leave, both of them propping their elbows on the formica as they watched April grab her coat and walk outside.

"Poor kid," Bill said, sympathetically shaking his head.

Ruthie folded her arms. "She's acting like it doesn't bother her but it's eating her up inside. I wanna do something nice for her tomorrow, to cheer her up."

"Like what?" Bill asked, taking a swig from his glass and seizing the rare moment of April being away from the counter to strike up a cigarette and have a few puffs. Ruthie wasn't so strict with the "No Smoking at the Counter" rule.

"Picnic in the park," Ruthie explained. "I thought it'd take her mind off of things. Why don't you come and invite some of the others?"

"Will you tell me what happened with Frank if I do?" He asked, chancing his arm.

She looked at him blankly. "…no." 


	8. Chapter 8 Surprises

**That's How Long I Have Loved You: Chapter 8**

………………………………………………………**.**

**Hello!! Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter. I haven't had a chance to reply to recent reviews yet as I've been a bit bogged down with work but I'll get to it ASAP. I really appreciate all of the reviews. Honestly, they keep me going! Hope that you all enjoy the new chapter. I'm wondering if you could tell me what you think about something that's been bugging me. Do you think the story is a little too slow-moving? I've just realised that I'm on chapter 8 and I've not even scratched the surface yet of where this story is going. I wonder if I'm taking to long to build up all of the backstory and tension between the sisters. Looks like this story could be a long 'un, folks :p **

**Xxxxxx**

* * *

_**Sunday 23**__**rd**__** September, 1942- Toccoa, Georgia**_

Late on that Sunday morning, the sun shone brightly. Amy couldn't help but notice what a nice day it was despite the month of October rapidly approaching. Returning from a morning walk with Rufus, she pushed open the door to the kitchen, tossing the dog's leash down on the counter as she went. Steven, slumped over the kitchen table doing the Sunday morning crossword in the paper, looked up as she came in. He grunted his greetings.

"Morning to you too," Amy said amusedly, pouring herself a cup of coffee from the cafetière. "It's quiet in here this morning."

"Reverend Jones invited mom and dad round for dinner after Church this morning," He responded, not looking up from his crossword.

"Oh," She said, sipping from her mug. "What about April? Is she still in?"

"Nah," He shook his head. "Left about a half hour ago?"

"I thought she wasn't working today," Amy frowned.

He shrugged again. "She didn't say anything. She left carrying mom's big picnic basket though."

_Picnic basket_, Amy thought to herself. "Where would April be having a picnic? More importantly, why wasn't she invited?"

……………………………………….

April and Ruthie sat on two large, sprawled out plaid blankets, unpacking the contents of their picnic baskets.

"How did you get past Amy?" Ruthie asked, arranging some bread on a plate. "What yarn did you spin?"

"Nothing," April shrugged. "I just slipped out while she was out with the dog."

"Sneaky," Ruthie chuckled.

April frowned, feeling guilty. "I didn't purposely not invite her. Just…you know. Geez, how awful a thing is that to say about your own sister. Maybe I should've…."

"She'll probably be with him today anyway, hon," Ruthie reasoned, shaking her head knowingly.

"Probably," April shrugged, wincing.

The girls looked up as the sound of approaching footsteps resonated around them. They raised their eyes in alarm as Bill, heading up the front, lead a small cadre of men in tow. April squinted as she looked at the faces, some she recognised and others she didn't. Her expression fell as her eyes settled on one face in particular.

"Oh no," She and Ruthie said in unison.

"Why is he here?" Ruthie sighed, annoyed.

"Tell me about it," She sighed in agreement. "Didn't you tell Bill not to invite David?"

"David?" Ruthie asked, confused, her eyes searching for him in the crowd. She spotted him. "Oh,. I see. I meant Frank, actually. Why the hell is _he_ here? Oh well, double damn."

Ruthie brushed off the approaching figure of Frank and plastered a smile over her face, holding her hands up in the air as Bill stopped at the foot of the blankets. "Geez, Bill, I said invite a _few_ friends."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Word got round about free food in the park…what was I supposed to do?"

"Well," April said, avoiding David's face. "Luckily that's something we've got a lot of. Sit yourselves down."

As they ambled to take seats wherever they could find a free spot, April leaned into Bill's ear, hissing. "I don't mind all of these other guys bein' here, but why did you bring _him_, Bill?"

Bill protested his innocence. "I didn't invite him! I don't know who did! What was I supposed to do, tell him to go to hell?"

She sighed, relaxing into her seat. Her expression softened as she shook her head apologetically at him. "No, of course not."

"Don't worry," He said, reassuringly. "With all these fellas here, you won't even have to talk to him."

"I suppose," She conceded, turning her attention back to unloading her picnic basket as a forest of hands began their descent on the plates already set out.

"Geez, don't they feed you fellas up there?" Ruthie said in surprise, watching every single cupcake on the plate that she'd just set down disappear within seconds.

"Course they…do," George said between gracious mouthfuls. "Not like this, though. Aint real food."

April laughed as she pulled out a glass pint bottle of milk from her basket, catching Frank looking at it out of the corner of her eye. In light of what Ruthie had recently told her, she couldn't help but crack a smile at the sight of the perturbed paratrooper. She waved the bottle in front of him. "Can I interest you in a glass."

He quickly shook his head. "Uh-uh."

"Sure?" She pressed, making an _mmmm _noise. "It's good."

He looked at her suspiciously for a moment before he screwed up his eyes with suspicion. "Did she…tell…?"

April just nodded, a mischievous glint in her eye. She cast him a reassuring glance before securing the milk away safely back into the picnic basket.

"What else ya got in here?" Bill asked, scooting forward and opening the lid on the picnic basket. He rifled through the contents, pulling out a long, slender baseball bat. "Hey, what's this?"

"You don't know what that is, Gono?" A voice piped out from somewhere amongst the group.

"Shaddup, wiseass," He drew a look to the guilty offender. "I mean why is it here?"

"It's my little brother's," April shrugged. "Just thought you might all want something to do."

Bill spied her camera, joking. "Nothing at all to do with you wanting to take some pictures?"

She put a hand to her chest, mock offended. "Me? Surely not!"

…………………………….

After eating a considerable chunk of the load of food that the girls had brought between them, the men of Easy began to work some of it off in a game of baseball on the green patch of grass nearby. This, too, included Ruthie, who found herself somewhat of a dab hand at the sport. April liked the sight of her friends enjoying themselves, admittedly mostly because Bill had been right, it _did_ provide good photograph material. She moved around the perimeter, her brow furrowed in concentration as she took photos of them in action.

"How could you miss that, George?" She laughed, watching in delight as George failed to bat a very slow-moving ball coming towards him.

He merely shot her a look, a defiant look.

Shrugging sheepishly at him, she took another photograph. Out of the corner of her eye she saw David lying on his side, a paper spread out in front of him. He wasn't reading it though, he was looking at her as she took her photos. She felt a shiver run up her spine from bottom to top. Why was he looking at her? Foolishly, she let it give her a sense of hope which led her to walk towards him. He smiled as she neared. "Get some good shots?"

"A few," She nodded, flopping down next to him and setting her camera down. They exchanged a polite smile. She smiled at him lightheartedly. "Why were you lookin' at me?"

"Was I?" He joked, realising he'd been spotted.

"Caught you," She remarked with a smile.

"It's just…I can't believe how identical to Amy you are," He said.

"Funny that about identical twins," She said dryly, looking away towards the baseball players with a frown.

"Very funny," He rolled his eyes. "As I was saying, you're identical but, at the same time, I can tell who is who."

"Really?" She looked back at him. "What's different?"

"When Amy smiles, the corners of her mouth upturn that little bit more than yours do…just ever so slightly," He said, putting his hand out and very lightly touching the corner of her mouth.

"Oh," She said, enjoying his touch, light though it was. "You know, no one has ever noticed that about us before."

"Call me intuitive, then," He joked, suddenly seeming embarrassed by the sentiment he'd just showing. He added jokingly, "Noticed your _photographer face_ too."

"My photographer face?" She asked, intrigued. She put a hand to her cheek. "What face do I make?"

"When you're really concentrating on a photograph that you're taking, your face scowls and your eyes narrow."

She burst out laughing, covering her mouth with her hand in embarrassment. She playfully slapped his arm. "I do not!"

"Yes you do," He challenged, laughing at her. "Like you'd know, you can't see your own face!"

"Funnily enough, no one's ever told me that either," She said, her cheeks flushed a little. "I cant believe I scowl! I must look so angry all of the time."

"Don't worry. It's kind of sweet actually," He said, flashing an earnest smile at her which cut right to her heart.

"Well, I'm glad that you _at least_ find it sweet," She said. They were silent again for a few more seconds before she cleared her throat. "So…bullied into coming to dinner by our mother, huh?"

"Looks that way," He laughed.

"Are you sure you're ready for that?" She teased.

"Amy said something to that effect," He noted. "Of course I'm ready. I'm perfectly charming."

"I don't think you've ever come up against anyone like our mom," She warned him.

"Amy said that, too," He laughed. "She really hates men in uniform, huh? Don't I have a fighting chance?"

"Weelllll," She shrugged her shoulders, joking. "Put it this way, if you can make it past our mum then you'll be ready for anything that they might throw at you when you go to war."

He merely grimaced at her.

"David…," She said, inching slightly closer to him.

"Mmm hmmm?"

"You and…um, you and Amy…," She began, biting her lip.

"Me and Amy…?" He asked, moving his hand in a circular motion, signalling for her to continue. He stopped, looking over her shoulder as his eyes lit up. "Speak of the devil."

"What?" She asked, confused. She whipped her head round to see Amy, clad in a yellow, floral sundress, marching towards them. She held a bowl in one hand. "Amy…."

"Hi," Amy flashed them a bright smile as she stopped in front of the blanket. Neither said anything in response. David merely smiled brightly at her whilst April sat, nonplussed. Amy held up the bowl in her hand. "I brought dip!"

"Hi, Amy," April said, finally finding the words. "What are you doing here?"

"What, am I not invited or something?" Amy said, flashing her sister an unimpressed stare that told April everything that she needed to know, that Amy was upset that she hadn't been invited or something.

"Of course you were invited," April said quickly. "I just left whilst you were out so I didn't get a chance to see you before I took off."

"Oh, I see," Amy said, a little dryly, sitting down and carefully fanning her dress around her so as not to crease it. "Finally found you, then."

"I'm glad that you came," Webster spoke up.

Amy smiled at him with flirtacious eyes. She leaned a little closer to him. "I was hoping I'd see you today."

April sat awkwardly in front as they made doe eyes at each other. She couldn't stand it being as in her face as it was at that moment. She stood up and picked up her camera, mumbling her excuses as she went. She was sure, however, that they wouldn't have even noticed that she'd gone.

……………………………

Ruthie and April cooled their heels against a wooden gate a few feet from where the men were playing baseball.

April sighed, indicating towards David and Amy sitting on the fence. "She's going to make mincemeat out of me later for not inviting her. I really should have invited her."

"Don't punish yourself for it," Ruthie reassured, tutting as she watched Amy longingly hand feed David a piece of bread. "Geez, this must be killing you."

"Thanks for stating the obvious, Ruthie," April shook her head. "But no, it's not particularly pleasant."

"Hey, Ruthie," Bill called over from nearby. "You in this game or what?"

"I'm comin', I'm coming," Ruthie called back. She cast another look back towards the couple on the blanket, only to find that they'd disappeared. "Hey, where did they go?"

"Search me," April shrugged nervously, her stomach lurching.

"You should go look for them," Ruthie winked at her as she ran back out onto the field to play.

"Mmmm, right," April called out sarcastically. "I'm not that much of a glutton for punishment."

She stood for a few minutes pretending to watch the game, before grunting in defeat and grabbing her camera. She headed in the direction of the nearby thicket of trees.

Ruthie cast her a triumphant glance as she passed by. "_Not_ a glutton for punishment, huh?"

"I'm just going to take a couple of photos, that's all," April reassured her…or was she reassuring herself?

"Evidence, you mean?" Ruthie called after her with a laugh.

April made her way towards the thicket of trees, making her way between the thick branches. She looked around at the blooms sprouting from the ground, stopping to poise her camera for the odd photograph. _Just taking photographs, just taking photographs_, she whispered over and over to herself as she moved around the trees. She stopped on the spot as she heard a branch cracking nearby under a foot. She spun round, squinting into the distance. Her heart caught in her throat as she saw Amy and David up ahead, partly hidden by the foliage. Not well hidden enough, however, for April to miss the sight of David's hand caressing Amy's cheek as he leaned in slowly to kiss her. They were so wrapped up in their own little bubble that they didn't even notice that sight of April standing just a few feet away, her face aghast.

……………………..

A few hours later, April lay on her bed back at home, fiddling with the buttons on her camera as she stared at the ceiling. She replayed the kiss in her head over and over again. She was certain that, for as long as she lived, she'd never forget how she'd felt as she'd seen it, like being punched in the stomach. Worse still, since Amy was the spitting of image of her, she couldn't help but lament on the fact that _that_ was what she would've looked like kissing David. She shuddered. The door to their room swung open, followed by the sound of Amy's light, breezy footsteps making their way over to her own bed. Amy threw herself onto the bed, letting out a happy sigh. She leaned up onto her elbow, looking over at April. "Hey, why did you leave so early?"

April continued to look at the ceiling as she replied monotonously. "I didn't feel too good."

Amy frowned in concern. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine now," April nodded, clearly her throat before adding quietly: "I'm sorry that I didn't invite you today."

Amy, on cloud nine, waved a dismissive hand at her sister. "Pfft, don't worry about it. April, I had a _fantastic_ day."

Knowing exactly why this was, April merely said quietly, "Oh, really?"

Amy cast a look at her sister. "Don't you want to know why?"

_No_, April thought to herself, but knew fine well that she couldn't say that. "Why?"

Amy bit the tip of her finger innocently as she beamed at April. "I kissed David."

"Mmmm hmmm,"

"April, didn't you hear me? I said that I kissed David," Amy pressed, frowning at her sister.

"I heard you," April rolled onto her stomach and cast her sister a look. "It's just…are you sure that's a good idea."

"Well, I can't exactly take it back now," Amy joked, frowning again at her sister. "What do you mean, anyway?"

April chose her words carefully, keen to not upset her sister. "Well, it's just...we're going to Sarah Lawrence soon."

Amy's eyes glazed over for a moment, then she smiled and shook her head reassuringly. "Don't worry April, I'm no sap…not anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"I _really_ like David…but I know it can't last," She admitted, slightly wistfully. "I'm a big girl and I'm prepared for that. No reason why I can't have a little fun though, right?"

"Hmmm," April said, rolling onto her side again and away from her sister. "I wish that I could control my feelings like that." 

* * *

_**Friday 28**__**th**__** September, 1942- Toccoa, Georgia**_

After a quick evening shift at the diner that Friday night, April put her coat on in the back room, quickly checking her hair in the mirror before grabbing her bag and making her way back out into the diner. She made her way up to Ruthie at the counter, who was arranging plates of food onto a tray ready to take them to a table.

"I'm going home," April said her goodbyes, her eye catching sight of a large,brown envelope on the counter. She pointed to it. "What's that?"

"Some fella from the _Enquirer_ dropped it over for you just now. Marv, I think his name was," Ruthie shook her head forgetfully.

"Marv, yeah," April said, picking up the envelope and scanning the restaurant quickly. "Is he still here?"

"No, he said he couldn't stay but asked me to make sure that you got it," Ruthie replied, placing a couple of napkins on the tray. "He said that you left today before he had a chance to give it to you."

"Thanks," April said absent-mindedly, noticing the New York post mark on it. She knew what it was.

"Be right back," Ruthie held up a hand, picking up the tray and walking out onto the main floor of the diner.

Without thinking, April ripped open the envelope and pulled out the numerous A4-sized sheets of paper that lay within. Her eyes involuntarily lit up as she saw the official stamp of Epoch Magazine at the top. Scanning down, she saw the actual signature of Judy Orr at the bottom. _Judy Orr is writing to me_ _in person_, her heart beat as she though to herself. She began to pore over the cover letter on top of the stack of paper but, Ssapping back to reality, she stopped herself. What was she doing? She knew that she shouldn't torture herself reading about an apprenticeship that she couldn't accept. As she saw Ruthie making her way back to the counter, she quickly stuffed the papers back into the envelope.

"Anything good?" Ruthie asked, pointing to the envelope.

"No," She shook her head firmly, throwing the envelope abruptly into the nearby trash can. "Wasn't anything important. Goodnight Ruthie."

"Goodnight," Ruthie called after her, frowning slightly. She could spot a perturbed look better on April White's face better than on her own mother's, and that was _definitely_ a perturbed look. Waiting until she saw April close the door of the diner behind her, Ruthie casually walked over to the trash can and quickly retrieved the envelope. She leaned over the counter as she opened it. "Well now, let's see what we have here."

Ruthie took out the content of the envelope and began to read the cover letter, mumbling aloud as she read. "Dear Miss White, I am pleased to inform you that you have been lucky enough to be selected over numerous candidates for a photography apprenticeship as Epoch Magazine, working alongside Judy Orr."

Ruthie's eyes grew wide with surprise. "What the…."

…………………………………………

_**Saturday 29**__**th**__** September, 1942- Toccoa, Georgia**_

April choked slightly on the cloud of hairspray that Amy sent flying in her direction as she lacquered the chignon in her hair. "Geez, Amy, _David'_s coming to dinner, not Roosevelt."

"Funny, April," Amy shook her head before raising her arms innocently in the mirror at her sister "I just want to look nice, that's all."

"…and choke me to death in the process," April joked.

"Okay," Amy spun round away from the mirror, holding up a pink dress on a coat hanger. "The one I'm wearing…or this pink one."

April thought for a second. "Stick with the blue."

"Noted," Amy winked at her, sighing as she set the pink dress down on the bed. "I can't actually believe we have a _soldier_ coming round to dinner."

"Never thought you'd say the day after you-know-who, huh?" April nodded in agreement, picking up the dress that Amy had set down and replacing it in the wardrobe.

"Tell me about it," Amy touched up her lipstick in the mirror before looking at April beseechingly. "_Please_ help me keep mom under control tonight. You know what she's like!"

"You know I will," April said, giving her sister's hand a reassuring squeeze, much as it killed her.

"Thanks," Amy squealed, letting her excitement at the night ahead get the better of her as she pulled her sister into a bear hug. "Mmm, I love you so much! I don't tell you that enough."

April was a little taken aback with the sudden show of emotion. It instantly made her feel guilty over her jealousy of David. "I…love you, too. Where did that come from?"

"Nothin'," Amy shrugged innocently as she released her sister from her grasp. "Just in a good mood tonight. Why don't you put on a little lipstick, April."

"Why?" April put a hand to her lips. "Do I need it?"

"Course not, silly," Amy smiled. "Just nice to make a little effort when we have company coming."

April frowned at her reflection in the mirror. "I don't think I have a shade that matches my dress." 

"Well, I probably do. You know I brought a tonne of makeup back from the City. Have a look," April said, making her way over to the door. "I'm going to help mom with dinner and make sure she doesn't try and do anything…."

"Poison his dinner, you mean?" April joked, calling after her sister.

Alone in the room, she looked around for her sister's vanity case. _If I were a vanity case, were would I be?_, she wondered to herself. Her eyes fell onto the suitcase that Amy had brought back with her from the City which, in typical Amy style, had yet to be entirely unpacked and put away. April unzipped it, foraging inside for the vanity case. She caught side of a white envelope sticking out from one of the zipped compartments at the side. Intrigued, she listened out for the sound of anyone coming up the stairs. Satisfied that she was alone, she took out the letter. It was already opened. _Army Nurse Cadets_, she frowned as she noticed the stamp on the front of the envelope. She took out the letter, mumbling aloud as she read. "_Dear Miss White, we are pleased to inform you that your application to become an Army Nurse Cadet has been successful. You should report for duties no later than October 15__th__. _April frowned in confusion, setting the letter down on her lap. What the hell?

………………

**Dun, Dun, Duuuun…**


	9. Chapter 9 Looking for This?

**That Is How Long I Have Loved You: Chapter 9**

* * *

_**Saturday 29**__**th**__** September, 1942- Toccoa, Georgia**_

Eagerly awaiting David's arrival, Amy hummed a tune to herself in the kitchen as she collected the pile of crockery from the cupboard. She held the stack to her body as she turned to face her mother. "These ones, Mom?"

Mrs White spun round, wiping her brow and sighing. "Yes, lay those ones. For goodness sake, Amy, put on a cardigan or something over that _dress_, and I use that term rather loosely."

Amy looked down at her knee-length, sleeveless, red dress. What was her mother stressing about? It came all the way up to her neck! "What? This is how all of the girls dressed in New York."

"Well you're a world away from New York now…so put a cardigan on," Mrs White said warningly. "Don't give that soldier any more ideas than he already has."

"Mom…," Amy raised an eyebrow at her mother. "Please be nice tonight. Don't bite his head off before you've had a chance to get to know him."

Mrs White simply smiled sweetly at her daughter, pointing to the plates. "Set the table, Sweetheart."

Rolling her eyes, Amy made her way into the dining room, where Mr White, as yet unfeatured, stood at the window, staring out into the yard as he puffed on his pipe. He turned round as he heard her come in, raising his eyebrows. "You're not wearing that, I hope."

"Mom's just given me this very lecture, Dad. I'll put a cardigan on, if only to appease you two," Amy sighed, setting the plates down.

"Good girl," He chuckled at her, placing his hands into his pockets and leaning back on his heels. "Should I go easy on this young man, this evening?"

"It's not _you_ I'm worried about, Dad," She shrugged at him, setting the last plate in place.

"Leave your mother to me," He winked at her as a knock sounded out on the front door.

"He's here," Amy said, her head whipping up in the direction of the door. She held a breath as she heard Rufus begin to bark like a maniac as was his custom whenever someone knocked on the front door.

"I'll get it!" Steven shrieked out, tearing towards the front door from upstairs.

"An instant ambush…perfect," Amy sighed, clapping her hands together sarcastically as she made her way out to the front door. _Oh well,_ she reasoned to herself_, at least there's no time to put a cardigan on_. She quickly put a hand to her head to give her hair one last check. Satisfied, she relaxed as Steven pulled open the door to reveal a coiffed David Webster standing on the porch, his arms full with three, small bouquets of carnations. "Good to see you, David. Come on in."

David shuffled through the front door, motioning his head towards the bouquets. "One of these is for you."

"Why thank you," She winked at him, gently dislodging one of the bouquets from his arm's grasp. She took a moment to smell the buds. Mmm, heavenly. Clearing her throat, she pointed to her father, who had by that time joined them in the hallway, puffing out his chest as well as puffing on his pipe. "David, this is my father. Dad, this is David Webster."

"Mr White," David managed to free a hand to extend towards her father. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. White."

"Likewise," Mr White shook David's hand, motioning towards the flowers with a chuckle. "I take it one of those aren't for me?"

"Unfortunately not, Sir," David laughed, looking over at Mrs White as she came in from the kitchen, hands on either side of her hips. He extended one to her. "I did, however, bring one for your good lady wife. It's a pleasure to see you again, Mrs White."

"David," She acknowledged him with a curt nod.

"And this one," He held up the last bouquet. "…is for April, wherever she is."

"She's upstairs getting ready for dinner. I'll take those," Mrs White said matter-of-factly, taking all three bouquets and turning on her heel back into the kitchen.

"Well," Amy said, gingerly taking David's arm and steering him towards the dining room. "Let's take a seat, shall we?"

"Lead on," He said, following her movements.

"Steven, why don't you go and get April," Amy asked, indicating to David where he should sit. "Why don't you sit yourself there, David."

Steven grunted, getting out of his chair and walking lazily towards the dining room door. At the doorframe, he bellowed up to the next floor. "AAPPPPRILLLLL! DINNNNERR!"

"Well, _I _could've done that," Amy glared at him as he made his way back to his chair.

April appeared in the doorway of the dining room a few moments later, somewhat ashen-faced given the revelation of discovering the letter just minutes earlier.

Amy frowned when she saw her sister. "Are you alright? You don't look so good."

"I'm fine," April mumbled, avoiding eye contact with everyone as she took her seat around the table. Eventually she looked up at David, knowing that she should greet the guest. "Hi, David."

"April," He nodded at her, shifting in his chair as Mrs White brought several plates of side dishes to the table. "This looks wonderful, Mrs White."

"Mmm hmm," Mrs White simply said, looking at April's palor with concern.

Mr White looked disapprovingly at his wife before turning his attention back to David. "Now, David, what are you training for at that camp over there"

"Paratroopers, Sir," David unfolded his napkin and placed it over his lap. "I'm training to be a paratrooper."

Mr White nodded, smiling approvingly. "That's what Amy told us, Son. I must say, David, it's very respectable of you."

"Really, Sir?" David accepted the compliment, but couldn't help but quip. "That's not quite the word that most of my friends and family back home have used. _Idiotic_, they would've said."

"I'd say _brave_," Amy fluttered her eyelashes slightly flirtaciously at him from across the table. April, noticing, bitterly took a deep mouthful of water from her water glass.

"I'd still say _respectable_," Mr White insisted, puffing on his pipe. "I take it you read the article in Life magazine, David?"

"I did indeed, Sir,"

"Mmm, I read it too," Mr White nodded, his pipe poised thoughtfully in the corner of his mouth. "It takes a brave a man to respond to that. Didn't sugar coat the danger aspect, did they? I have to say that I would've applied myself if I was a few years younger and didn't have my bad back."

"_I _want to apply," Steven piped up insistently from the other end of the table. He eyed David. "Could you get me in?"

"I could put in a good word for you," David joked, casting an amused look to the grownups at the table.

"Maybe in a couple of years time, Steven," Mr White chuckled. He turned back to David, taking the initiative to fill up his glass with water for him. "Well, Amy speaks very highly of you anyway."

"Well you have a really great daughter there, Sir. She's a real credit to you," David sent a smile in Amy's general direction, before smiling charmingly at her father.

"_Two_ great daughters," Mrs White piped up sharply. April sighed inwardly, wishing her mother hadn't said it.

"Of course," David placed an apologetic hand to his chest. "April too, of course. Two great daughters."

Mrs White grew increasingly concerned about April's withdrawn nature. Naturally assuming that her daughter was perturbed by the quite obvious attraction between Amy and the soldier. She tapped gently on the table to get her daughter's attention. "April, come and help me with the roast chicken."

"Oh, ok," April stood up as instructed, yet almost trancelike, and followed her mother into the kitchen.

Inside the privacy of the kitchen, Mrs White placed both of her hands at either side of the stove in frustration. She emitted a low grunt.

"Are you alright, Mom?" April asked, frowning.

"As a matter of fact, _no_," Mrs White turned round, her face growing visibly red with anger. "I am _seething_ with that young man in there."

"David?" April asked, confused. "What did he do?"

"What did he do?" Mrs White asked incredulously. "What didn't he do?! He is sitting in there with his intentions for Amy written all over his face having just cast you to the wayside, meanwhile you're forced to watch. I can see how devastated you look, Sweetheart."

"What?" April asked, pausing for a moment as she understood how her mother had gotten the wrong end of the stick. "No, mom, no."

"What?"

April wiped her brow. "He never liked me, Mom. Not in that way, anyway. It was me who had the situation backwards. I thought it was more than it was."

"Oh," Mrs White frowned. "So he's only ever liked Amy?"

"Bingo," April said, a little embarrassed. She didn't want to invoke pity in anyone.

"Oh, Sweetheart," Mrs White drew April into a cuddle against her will. "Do you still like this young men."

"Well that's neither here nor there," April struggled to get out, her mouth crushed against her mother's shoulder. She felt tears coming to her eyes, as was always the way when her mother tried to comfort her. She couldn't explain it, but ever since she'd been young her mother's comfort and sympathy when she was feeling down always provoked a stream of tears in her.

"Oh, how awful for you Sweetheart," Mrs White sympathised, leaning back and wiping at her daughter's eyes. "You can be excused from the table if you wish. I'll make an excuse for you."

"It's okay," April shook her head. "I'll be fine."

"Goodness," Mrs White let out a huge sigh, wiping her hands on her apron. "The drama you young ones have these days. When your father and I were young it was all so simple."

"Well, I envy you then," April said, composing herself. She cleared her throat. "One last thing, Mom."

"Yes?"

"Go easy on him," April said, managing a smile. "They really do like each other, you know."

April walked back into the dining room, just in time to hear her father rave happily "Harvard? How wonderful!". April rolled her eyes, retaking her seat.

"Are you okay?" Amy whispered, concerned.

"Of course," April nodded blankly. "Could you pass the potatoes?"

………………………………………

That evening, April had gone to bed early, leaving Amy and Mr White to entertain David over a brandy. Having lain in the darkness unable to sleep for a few hours, unable to sleep for mulling things over in her head, she tossed and turned. She couldn't quite bring herself to believe that Amy would, for a start, apply to be a nurse when she had made plans for Sarah Lawrence and nor that she would withhold such information. They were sisters. They didn't keep secrets this massive. Alright, alright, so she hadn't told Amy about David but that wasn't something which was going to directly affect both girls in the long term. That was April's pain to bear and eventually heal from. The door to the room creaked open, and April listened as Amy quickly changed into her pyjamas and climbed into bed. They stayed in silence for moment before Amy eventually hissed. "Psssst. April! Are you awake?"

April thought about pretending to be asleep, but relented. "Yes."

"How are you feeling?"

"A little better now," April shrugged in the darkness. "Sorry I didn't say a lot during dinner."

"That's okay," Amy waved a hand. "Mom wasn't too bad tonight, luckily. Something on your mind?"

"Well…," April bit her lip. She didn't want to admit to accidentally finding the letter. She'd rather let Amy confess of her own devices. "Amy, can I ask you something?"

"Sure,"

"You are certain, aren't you, that you want to go to Sarah Lawrence in the fall?"

Amy bit her lip, nervously. This was a clear cut chance to get everything off of her chest and come clean with her sister, but she hadn't had time to mentally prepare for this one. She was caught off guard and, once again, lost her nerve. She swallowed hard, knowing that every time she lied about it was going to make the eventual come down much worse. Yet there was little else she could do. "Of course I do."

"Really?"

"Of course,"

"Okay," April smiled, rolling over onto her other side. That was all she needed to know, enough to allow her to drift off into a peaceful sleep. Enough for now, anyway.

…………………………………………………

_**Monday 31**__**st**__** September, 1942- Toccoa, Georgia**_

That Monday evening, April made her way towards the diner for her evening shift. She had an uneasy feeling in her stomach. Bolstered by Amy's admission that she wanted to go to Sarah Lawrence, April had insistently told Marv to tell Judy Orr that she didn't want to do the assistantship. After having done so though, she immediately began to have her doubts again. Amy had left the previous morning for a weeklong visit with their grandparents. April couldn't even ask her once again. She put her hand into her bag, feeling the letter that she'd taken from Amy's suitcase. She felt instantly guilty. She couldn't really say why she'd taken it, she had simply done it without thinking. She wondered if Amy would realise that it was missing. She could at least show Ruthie, anyway, and get her friend's opinion.

"Ruthie," She said, walking over to Ruthie at the counter. "I have to talk to you."

Ruthie put her hand on her hips as she saw April approach. She had a stern look on her face. "I need to talk to you, too."

"Me first," April said, on a roll as she pulled the letter from her bag. She stretched it out on the table in front of Ruthie. "Look at this."

"_Dear Ms. White_…," Ruthie mumbled as she began to read the letter. Her eyes grew incensed as she read, eventually looking up at April with anger. She gave her a light shove on the shoulder. "Hey!"

"What?" April reeled, confused.

"You joined the Nurse Cadets! Why didn't you tell me?! Geez, first that magazine internship in New York and now _this_. What the hell are you doing?" Ruthie raged.

"What? Ruthie this is Amy's letter, not mine," April held her hands up in shock. "But _how_ did you know about the internship in New York."

Ruthie rolled her eyes, waving a hand dismissively. "I took that letter you got out of the trash, of course!"

"Oh, of _course_," April repeated sarcastically. "Well we'll talk about that in a second, but can you believe this letter…."

"Amy wants to be a nurse, huh?" Ruthie mused, scratching her chin. "Never had her pegged for the nursing type, but oh well."

"No, she said that she was going to Sarah Lawrence with me in the fall!" April stressed. "She didn't tell me about this!"

"Well, did _you_ tell her that you applied for that internship?" Ruthie said, challenging her slightly.

"No, I didn't apply for that," She shook her head. "Marv put my name up for it without telling me."

"Can he do that?" Ruthie asked, surprised.

"Apparently," She shrugged.

"So what's the problem, exactly?" Ruthie frowned. "You go do your internship and let her go be a nurse."

"No, I already told them that I wasn't doing the internship because I'd made the promise to go to Sarah Lawrence with Amy," April sighed, taking a seat on one of the bar stools.

"Why on earth would you do that, you idiot?" Ruthie cried. "I may not know much about all of this photography business that you love so damn much but I _have_ heard of Epoch magazine so I can imagine how big an achievement this is!"

"We made a promise to each other!" April insisted slamming a hand on the table in agitation.

Ruthie paused for a moment, sensing she'd stirred something in her friend. No, damn it, this was something she had to push through into April's head. "And you know for a fact that she's not doing this?"

"She said we were going to Sarah Lawrence," April shrugged. "Maybe she applied on a whim and realised she'd made a mistake."

"Wait," Ruthie held up a hand. "Let me get this absolutely clear. She actually said the words _I am not becoming a nurse_."

"Well," April said, taken aback as the thought entered her head."

"Did she?" Ruthie pressed.

"Well, no…," She had to admit.

"Well then," Ruthie laughed incredulously. "I wouldn't have turned down such an incredible opportunity when I wasn't 100% certain that my sister was telling me the truth."

"Are you saying that my sister's a liar?" April said, a little defensively.

"That's not for me to say," Ruthie held her hands up. "All that I'm saying is that she didn't tell you about the nurse cadets at all in the first place, so how can you be sure that she's telling you the truth now."

April shut up at that point, flabbergasted. Not because she was taken aback at what Ruthie was saying but because Ruthie had said out loud what she had to admit that she'd been thinking, somewhere deep down since the day that she'd found the letter. She cleared her throat, sinking small into her chair. "Well what am I supposed to do."

Ruthie could merely shrug as she picked up the letter and look at it again. After a few seconds she stopped. "Wait a minute."

"What?"

"It says here that, if she chooses to accept her place as a cadet then she should send in a written letter of confirmation."

"So?"

Ruthie pointed out a certain part of the letter. "There's a contact number here."

"You're not saying…."

"I didn't _say_ anything," Ruthie winked at her.

April considered it for a moment, before shaking her head and pushing the letter away. "No, no I can't do that."

"Okay," Ruthie raised an eyebrow at her.

…………………….

Inexplicably, April found herself in a phone box not even ten minutes later. The rain began to pound outside against the glass as she huddled within the small compartment. She waited patiently as she was passed from department to department until finally…

"Army Nurse Corps Admin, how may I help you?" A chirpy voice came through the telephone.

April cleared her throat. "My name is Amy White. I was just wondering if you could confirm for me whether or not you have received my letter of confirmation for my enrolment as an Army Nurse Cadet this fall."

A brief pause. "I can take a look at our files, Ms White, but first I have to ask for some details to verify your identity. Standard protocol, I'm afraid. Could you please confirm for me your date of birth and also your address please."

April rhymed off the details, the same as her own, of course.

"Alright, thank you Ms White. Please wait one moment whilst I check our files," The voice said. After a brief pause she came back on the line. "Thank you for waiting. I can indeed confirm that we received your acceptance letter. Is there anything else that I can help you with?...Ms White? Ms White are you still there?"

April had let the phone slide from her hand. She put her hand to her mouth in surprise. What followed was a seething anger unlike she'd ever experienced before. Picking up the receiver and slamming it back onto the cradle, she forced her way out of the booth with a loud thud, storming back towards the diner.

………………………………………….

_**Saturday 5**__**th**__** October, 1942- Toccoa, Georgia**_

Amy had spent a good majority of the week in a blind panic as soon as she'd discovered that her letter was not in the compartment of her suitcase in which she'd left it. It had severely marred her week with her grandparents. How could she have been so clumsy as to not check before she'd left? She'd spent the whole week worrying that April would have found it, if not her parents. Tentatively, on her return that Saturday afternoon, she'd climbed into her father's car as he picked her up at the station, wary of a sudden outburst from him. To her relief, he hadn't shown any outright signs that he had any knowledge of the letter, so she relaxed a little. He'd merely given her a hug and told her how happy he was to see her, and how everyone had sorely missed her in her absence. When they arrived home, Amy pushed open the front door, to be confronted with an outburst of "SURPRISE!".

What greeted her was the sight of her mother, April, Steven and…David (!), standing in the hallway. She was taken aback. "What's all this?"

"Little impromptu welcome home party I put together," Mrs White said with a smile. "…since we knew you were coming home unlike New York."

"Wow," She said, hugging her mother as she scanned the faces. She stopped at David. "Hello."

"Your mother asked April to invite me," He explained with a wink.

"I'm glad of that," She said, sliding easily back into the warm atmosphere of the family home. However, something still jarred within her. She couldn't fully relax until she knew that that letter was safely tucked away until she was brave enough to confess all. She quickly glanced at April, not seeing any immediate signs on her face to indicate that she knew. April merely had a glazed look on her face. What Amy didn't know, of course, was that April had had a whole week to come to terms with her anger…even though it was still very much alive inside her.

"We have cake," Mrs White said, beckoning her towards the dining room.

"Great," Amy beamed, pausing. "Why don't you all go on through and I'll be there in a moment. I just need to head upstairs for a moment."

"Alright," Mrs White nodded, shuffling the group into the dining room.

April stayed in the hall as Amy began to tear up the stairs, her hand firmly gripping the letter in her pocket. With a swift movement, she pulled it out of her pocket, clasping it in her hand as she said sharply. "Amy."

Amy stopped, mid-run, turning back in surprise to see her sister still standing at the foot of the stairs. She noticed a look in April's eyes that she'd never noticed before. "What?"

April held up the letter, her eyes drawing daggers. "Looking for this?"


	10. Chapter 10 That's it then

**That Is How Long I Have Loved You: Chapter 10**

………………………………………………………**.**

**Hiya! Okay, this is a bit of a long chapter but I've realised that I'm ten chapters in and the story is still in Toccoa! So I wanted to make sure this would be the last Toccoa chapter. Thank you so much for all of the lovely comments on the last chapter, and I hope you like this one. **

…………………………………………………..

Amy swallowed hard, her eyes darting between April and the letter in her hand. _Her_ letter. "Where…where did you find that?"

"I can't believe that's your first reaction to this, about where I got it," April ignored the question. She held the letter up a little higher. "I suppose _this_ explains why you came home from New York so quickly, rather than, how was it you put it again? Oh yes, the family were mean to you…"

"April…," Amy took a step or two back down the stairs, her words sticking hard in her throat as she looked into her sister's hurt, torn eyes. She'd done that. "…I can explain everything."

"I think that this letter says it all," April said, glaring into her sister's eyes. She'd had a whole week to work up this anger.

"I _can_ explain…," Amy insisted, holding up her hands pleadingly. "If you'd only let me-"

"Explain what?!" April's voice grew louder as her anger intensified. She cut her sister off once again. "Explain how you lied? Explain how you've decided to put yourself in dangerous situation? Explain that you might _die_?"

"April," Amy repeated, shooting her sister a warning glance as she grew uncomfortable at how loud her sister was speaking. "I'm _really_ sorry, and we can talk about this later, of course…but _please_, I don't want mom and dad to know. Not yet."

April disregarded this comment, her voice just as loud as her anger reached it's peak. "What about me? Would you have left _me_ in the dark, too? Were you just going to wait until the day before you left before casually calling over your shoulder that you were leaving?!"

"April…,"

April's anger thawed for a moment, cracked by emotion which showed through in the form of a few watery teardrops which collected in the rim of her eyes. Her voice cracked slightly as she choked out. "After everything you promised me? After everything I've given up for…."

It was too late. The noise had alerted Mrs White, who appeared in the hall. Her brow furrowed in concern as her eyes darted between her two daughters, both with ghastly pale faces, one with tears running down her cheeks. "What's going on here, girls?"

David followed soon after, keeping a respectable distance behind but watching with interest all the same.

Amy shot April a pleading glance, indicating towards the letter with her eyes. A look which implored her not to draw attention to the letter. Shaking her head in disgust, April threw the letter down in front of her, watching it fall gently to land on the first step of the staircase. "I'm done with this."

Mrs White's eyes honed in immediately onto the folded up letter lying atop the stair. She looked back up at her daughters. "What is that?"

"Mom, no!" Amy shook her head in fear as her mother reached forward for the letter. She lunged forward to try and grab it herself. Her mother was too quick, however, and deftly grabbed the letter with one swoop.

Mrs White opened the letter and spent several seconds reading it over. Her eyes raised slightly before, clearing her throat, she looked at her daughters with an icy coolness to her stare. "To which _Ms White_ is this letter referring?"

There was nothing that she could do. Her secret was out. Amy meekly raised her hand and, unusually for her, her voice came out in an almost-frightened squeak. "_Me_."

"Right, then Amy I'd like to speak with you in the front room, _now_ please," Mrs White said, managing to keep her composure with an incredible amount of class. She turned her attention to David, casting him a cool smile and placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry to cut your visit short, David, but I'm afraid Mr White and I really need to speak with Amy. April, could you please see David to the door."

"Sure," April mumbled as she looked down at the ground.

"Amy, sitting room, _now_," Mrs White repeated firmly, wagging her finger to indicate her daughter to follow her.

As Amy began to trudge down the stairs she caught April's eye, a distance showing itself between the two sisters which had never presented itself before in their lives. As she continued to walk past David towards the front room, he discreetly reached out and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. She gave him a small, appreciative smile over her shoulder as she disappeared into the front room, quickly followed by her mother. Suddenly, he and April were alone in the hallway.

April, slightly overcome with the confrontation, turned away from David and put both hands over her face, taking deep breaths as she tried to keep her tears at bay. Satisfied that she wasn't going to burst into tears she cleared her throat, turning back round to face David. She motioned to the front door. "I'll walk you to the door."

Silently, he followed her, stepping out onto the porch and closing the door shut behind him. She stood awkwardly on the porch in front of him, her hands folded in front of her. "I'm sorry that you had to see that."

"Don't worry about it," He said, agitatedly, reaching into his pocket for his cigarettes. He exhaled deeply as he drew from his cigarette. "That was really wrong."

"I know, I know," She sighed, nodding in agreement. "Well, she shouldn't have lied, I suppose."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "No, actually I was talking about _you_. What you did was really wrong."

"Excuse me?" She asked, taken aback. "What do you…."

"You didn't have to do what you just did to her in there, not like that," He challenged, flicking his ash angrily. "I didn't think _you_ could be so mean."

April stared at him with large, confused eyes. "But I…but she lied to me."

David shrugged blankly as his eyes flashed with frustration. He shook his head disdainfully. "Didn't it occur to you that the reason she didn't tell you was because she was scared to? Scared of letting you all down, scared of what you'd say to her?"

April felt herself shrinking back slightly at the tone of his voice. She was completely taken aback by his reaction, and it made her feel ashamed that he could be so angry at her, that he could think so lowly of her. Before she knew what was happening, a flurry of tears began their descent down her cheeks.

David recoiled a little at this sight, sensing he'd come on bit strong. He shrugged nonchalantly, softening his tone. "I…I didn't mean to make you cry I just know that she was really nervous about telling your parents about this, and most of all you."

April stopped, opening her mouth in surprise. _He_'_d_ known about this? Any shame she'd felt at David's reaction quickly replaced itself with anger. "Oh, _you_ already knew about all of this…before she told anyone in our family?"

David grimaced slightly. "Well…yes."

"Figures," April rolled her eyes, walking back into the house and uttering disdainfully before she shut the door on him. "You deserve each other."

…………………………….

_**Sunday 6**__**th**__** October, 1942- Toccoa, Georgia**_

Ruthie tapped her fingers distractedly on the formica in the diner, oblivious to Bill snapping his fingers in front of her as she stared worriedly at April, who sat alone in a booth, her face crestfallen as she watched the rain fall rhythmically outside the window.

"Anyone in there?" Bill snapped his fingers louder, making her notice him.

"Oh, sorry," Ruthie shook her head apologetically.

"What are we lookin' at?" Bill asked, following her gaze and clucking his tongue sympathetically as he looked at April. He motioned to Amy sitting with David a few booths over. "I take it those two girls aint spoken yet?"

Ruthie shook her head. "This is bad, Bill."

"_That_ bad?" Bill asked doubtfully.

Ruthie nodded firmly. "I've never known those two to not be speaking to each other. I've never seen them like this."

"Want me to talk to them?" Bill offered. "I'd bet I could knock some sense into them."

"Is that right?" Ruthie raised a sceptical eye.

"Ol' Bill Guarnere has been known to break up a few fights in his time," He praised himself.

"Probably started a good few, too," She added sarcastically, flashing him a smile.

He made no attempt deny this accusation, merely coughing, looking away for a brief second before asking: "You want my services or not?"

"I suppose it couldn't hurt," She shrugged, sighing.

He held up a hand. "Afraid you gotta pay the price?"

"Free cola?"

"Free cola? Don't be stupid," Bill laughed mockingly at the notion.

"Hamburger?"

"Pffft, hamburger," he waved a hand, swivelling round to face her directly, a solemn look on his face. "No. I'll help you if you do one thing for me."

"Which is?"

"Tell me what happened with Perco," He smiled mischievously.

She rolled her eyes, tossing the cloth she'd been using to wipe the counter at him. "No thanks, I'll take care of it myself."

……………………………..

_**Saturday 12**__**th**__** October, 1942- Toccoa, Georgia**_

Their last Saturday together that October was unusually sunny, a slight breeze blowing through the trees as Amy and David lost themselves in each other against a large birch tree amidst a secluded thicket of trees deep into the park. Amy didn't even care about the small shavings of tree bark entangling itself into her hair as her lips interlocked with his in a series of passionate kisses. She lost all sense of where she was and what time it was as his lips trailed their way from her lips, along her jaw line and slowly down towards her neck. She felt her body contorting towards him in response, excitement growing within her. He surely was feeling the same as his hands began to roam, exploring the curves of her body. His lips found hers again and they kissed a few moments longer, before she had to pull away, gasping for her. "David…"

"Amy…"

"We should be careful," She whispered, closing her eyes against the pleasure of his lips floating down her neck once more.

"Why?" He breathed against her skin. He looked up at her. "Is this moving too fast?"

She shook her head, running a hand through his hair as she looked at him fondly. "Of course not, it's just…."

"You don't want to?" He looked down.

"I…I do, I really do," She admitted, kissing his nose and laughing slightly. "Believe me, I do. This isn't the place."

He looked down at the pile of leaves that his left foot was sunken into, conceding with a smile and a laugh. "I suppose that's true."

"Maybe it's for the best," She groaned, rolling out from under his arms which stood on either side of her on the tree bark and looking at him flirtaciously, adding with a joke. "Wouldn't want to get used to a good thing just as we're about to leave now would we? Besides, I'm not that kind of girl."

"Oh, well I do apologise," He played along, putting his arm around her and pulling her in for a cuddle. He took a deep breath as he buried his head in her hair, taking in the scent. He sighed. "Do you have to leave me tomorrow?"

"I'm afraid so," She patted his cheek.

"_So_ inconsiderate of you," He teased, pulling her back into his arms.

"Isn't it, though," She giggled as they began to kiss again. She pulled away. "Hey, careful or you'll make me change my mind."

"Uh oh," He released her from his grasp. "Wouldn't want that to happen."

She laughed, planting a peck on his lips.

"Come on then," He said, holding out a hand to her. "Why don't you let me take you for dinner at the diner one last time."

"The _diner_? Spoil me why don't you," She teased. "There are other, better restaurants in Toccoa."

"I know, I walk past them on the way to the diner every weekend," He teased, slipping an arm around her waist as they made their way toward Mimi's. "What do you want? I'm not a paratrooper yet. I'll take you somewhere nice when I am."

"That'll be the day," She laughed, stopping suddenly as a thought struck her. "We can't go to the diner. April's working today."

"Don't worry, don't worry," He reassured her with a gentle squeeze to the waist. "We'll sit in the back."

"Hmm," She said doubtfully, but following him all the same.

"I take it she still hasn't spoken to you since last weekend," He asked cautiously, testing the waters.

She shook her head, look down, hurt. "Not a word."

"Well if it's any consolation," He shrugged. "She's mad at me too."

"Yes, that helps," She said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. She bit her lip. "You know, from since we were little, we've never fallen out this badly before."

"Never?"

"Nope," She shook her head wistfully. "She won't even look at me most days."

"Have you tried talking to her?"

"Of course I have," She nodded firmly, shrugging her shoulders. "She just turns away. I don't know, is it wrong of me to think that by now she's overreacting?"

"I don't know, maybe," He nodded, shrugging his shoulders. "If I was going to make any guesses though I'd say it's not the fact that you didn't tell her, just that she's worried about what you're going into."

"I'm not so sure," She shook her head.

"Well I'll be sure enough for the both of us," He said, changing the subject. "So how are your parents coping with the news.

"A _little_ better. They're still not happy about it, mom more so, and they didn't start talking to me again until midweek," She said, shrugging her shoulders. "They've accepted that it's my choice though, and there's nothing they can do about it. I told them that, at the end of the day, I'm 19 and they can't stop me so I'd really appreciate it if they could try to be supportive."

"That's very mature," He nodded approvingly.

"I like to think so," She said, breathing in anxiously as they stopped short just outside of the diner. "…in the back, right?"

"In the back," He nodded, smiling at her nervous facial features as he leaned forward to plant a gentle kiss on her lips.

She reeled back with a small smile. "What was that for?"

"Because you look cute when you're nervous," He smiled, biting his lip as he stroked her ear. "…and because I think I might just be crazy about you."

"David…," She said, warningly. She'd tried her best not make this thing between them too heavy, yet she couldn't deny to herself that she was feeling the same. "Remember what we talked about?"

"I know, I know…," He rolled his eyes. "I can't help it, though. You're quite a woman, Ms White."

"I've had a great time with you, David," She said, putting her arms around his waist and laying her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes.

He frowned, pulling back a little. "So…is that it? Does this end after you leave?"

She grimaced a little, taken aback by the blunt question. "Well, we're both going away. Who knows when we'll see each other again, or if we even will see each other again."

"Oh," He said, pretending be joking as he put a hurt hand to chest in pretence of offense. His eyes showed glimmers of genuine worry, however. "Might not want to see me again, huh?"

"I didn't say that!" She cried. "I just meant…who knows if we'll even make it back alive, David?"

"Positivity," He remarked dryly. "I like it."

"David…," She smiled sternly at him. "Stop frowning. Will you write to me?"

"Of course I will," He nodded, pausing as though he had something else to say.

"What?" She pressed.

"It's just…we get a furlough at Christmas and I was just wondering if you wouldn't mind if I stopped by Toccoa for a while to visit you," He proposed to her, gently mocking the words she'd used earlier. "I know that's not exactly _keeping things light_, but…."

She playfully hit him on the arm before placing a silencing finger over his lips. "I'd like that."

He smiled triumphantly, holding the door handle of the diner and motioning her inside. "Shall we?"

……………………………

Ruthie grabbed her order pad, looking at Amy and David sitting in the back of the diner, holding hands across the table. She began to walk over to them to take their order, but stopped, turning back instead to the counter where April was refilling the napkin holder. Ruthie tossed the order pad down onto the counter, jerking her head back towards their table. "Your turn."

April simply looked at her in surprise, shaking her head and pushing the order pad away. "I am _not_ serving them."

"_Yes_ you are," Ruthie slid it back across the counter. "Jeez, April. She's your sister and she's leaving tomorrow!"

"I won't get into this again, Ruthie," April shook her head firmly, looking at her friend pleadingly. "I am _not_ going over there."

Ruthie frowned as April walked into the back pantry, slamming the door behind her. She growled in frustration.

"Sure you don't want ol' Guarnere's help?" Bill said, smiling from the other side of the counter. "Havin' some trouble?"

"I'm doin' just fine, Bill," Ruthie narrowed her eyes at him and she slammed a hand on the table. "I'm not defeated so easily."

"Then what's your next plan?" He challenged.

Ruthie thought for a moment, before a smile triumphantly spread itself over her face. "I've got just the thing, actually Bill."

April reappeared from the pantry and set some unopened boxes down on the counter. She looked up in surprise as she saw Ruthie stalking over to her angrily. "What?"

"I'm just trying to help you, April. I don't want you to let your sister go without making things right with her! What's more, it's _your_ damn turn to bus the tables," Ruthie said, pretending to be angrier than she actually was. She reached under the counter and pulled out some cleaning produce. "But since _I_ have to take their order, then you can clean the bathroom for me."

"Fine," April said indignantly, grabbing the bottle off of her. "I'd rather do that than serve them anyway."

Ruthie watched April march off into the female lavatory, before turning and making her way over to Amy.

"Ruthie," David nodded politely at her before looking back down at the menu. "Could I get…."

"I'm sorry, David," She said, holding up a hand to stop him. "I'll take your order in a second. I'm sorry to interrupt, but I actually came over to tell Amy that April isn't doing to good. I don't know what she's eaten but she's in the bathroom and she's not well at all."

Amy's eyes flashed a glimmer of concern, before glossing over. "I don't think she'd want to see me."

"Well, that's funny because she asked for you specifically," Ruthie lied with a smile.

"She did?" Amy's eyes lit up.

"Yeah, she's in the bathroom," Ruthie motioned in that general direction. "Why don't you go see how she's doing?"

"Okay," Amy said, tentatively rising from her seat and making her way into the bathroom.

Once she had both sisters inside the bathroom, Ruthie turned back to Bill, clapping her hands together in triumph. "…and there you have it."

"Ruthie, you know that they can just _walk out_?" Bill raised an eyebrow.

"Well I just happen to have that covered," She held up a finger, swiftly reaching below the counter, pulling out a set of keys and locking the bathroom door.

"Good job, Bill said, nodding his head in genuine approval. He turned back to his paper, but looked up again, a sparkle in his eye as he took out his cigarettes and pointed to the _No Smoking At The Counter_ sign. "…try stopping me now, April."

Both sisters began to thump on the door once they'd realised what had happened.

"Ruthie, open this door!" April said, banging on the door with her fist.

"No," Ruthie shouted back. "Not until you both resolve this stupid argument."

"Ruthie, I mean it…," April cried out again, more warningly. "I'll bang this door down!"

"I'm sorry," Ruthie put her fingers in her ears. "I can't hear you!"

Both girls began banging the door even louder in tandem. It was actually quite loud and attracted a lot of attention from the other diners. Ruthie held up her hands, frowning slightly. "Nothing to see here, folks. Back to your meals!"

………………….

"I cannot believe her," April said, giving the door one final thump before giving up with a despairing grunt, sliding down the wall and taking a seat on the floor.

"Well, if it's any consolation she tricked me too," Amy said dryly, sitting down on the floor and playing awkwardly with her fingers. An ominous silence settled between the two of them. Amy sighed, not sure of how much more of it she could take. "What, you're still not going to speak to me even though we're trapped in here."

"Not through choice," April said coldly, looking at the ground.

Amy sighed again. This was a ridiculous situation, she knew that, and neither of them were even close being as mature about it as they should be. Well, that was something that she could change there and then. She decided to bite the bullet. "What is it that's bothering you so much, April? Is it because I didn't tell you? Is that all it is? Because if that's the case, then surely you must know it's because I was scared of letting you down."

"Then why _are_ you letting me down, then?" April piped up quietly, her voice catching in her throat.

"Because I have to do this," Amy said, imploringly looking into her eyes as she tried to justify herself. "I'm 19, April, and there's a war out there. I want to do something to help. I want to make my mark!"

"Well, that's great," April said, dryly. "I'm sure you'll do a lot."

"April, please don't look at me like that," Amy frowned, biting her lip. "Every time you look at me like I've betrayed you so much, it breaks my heart. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you and I'm sorry that I won't be going to Sarah Lawrence with you…but you know me, once I have my heart set on something then I have to go for it. I wouldn't be happy otherwise."

"I thought I knew you," April shook her head, looking away, unable to stop a solitary tear from rolling down her cheek. "But now…you're a completely different person to me."

Amy shrugged her shoulders, uttering. "I'm still me."

"No," April shook her head firmly. "The sister that _I_ knew would never decide to do something like this without even telling me first or without telling her family first. Army nurses are trained to go into war zones, Amy. You could die! Haven't you thought about that? What? Were you just going to leave quietly without telling us? Were you hoping that we wouldn't find out until a letter arrived telling us that you'd been in who-knows-where?"

Amy sighed, knowing that this was the reality of what she'd signed up for. "I was just waiting for the right time."

"The right time…," April spat out, unable to stop herself from laughing incredulously. "It is so disrespectful of you, Amy. I don't believe for a second that you had any intention of telling us. You have enough chances! After all of the saving mom and dad had to do to send us to Sarah Lawrence. After everything _I've_ given up…" She stopped.

Amy frowned, cocking her head to the side. "What have _you_ given up?"

April narrowed her eyes at her sister. "I gave up an apprenticeship with Epoch magazine working under _Judy Orr_ in New York so that I could follow you to Sarah Lawrence. Do you know why I did that? I did it because I didn't want to let you down, Amy. Goodness knows why I bothered, since you clearly didn't give a second thought to any of us here."

"Why did you do that?!" Amy asked incredulously. "Why would you turn down something like that? That's a fantastic opportunity!"

"I know that," April said through gritted teeth. "But that opportunity is gone now, unfortunately."

"I'm sorry," Amy said, deflated. She clung desperately to her argument, trying to persuade her sister. "I _know_ I'm doing the right thing here, April…."

"The right thing?! How can you be so selfish?!"

"Selfish?" The word struck something in Amy and her anger flared. "So volunteering to help my country is selfish is it? Oh, and April, don't pretend that you said no to that apprenticeship because of me."

"Excuse me?" April said, her blood boiling.

"You're too scared of standing on your own two feet and doing something on your own for once, without me," Amy said, knowing that her words were harsh but her anger making it impossible to stop them from coming out of her mouth. "That's why you wanted to go to Sarah Lawrence together, because you don't want to do it on your own! Should I continue?"

"I think you've said everything there is to say," April said quietly, her eyes closed in resolve. She stood up, turning back towards the door.

"Wait," Amy said, softening a little as she reached out and placed a hand on her sister's arm, who turned back round to look at her.

"What?" April asked, giving her a blank stare.

"I'm sorry. Emotion got the better of me there. I didn't really mean that," She said, apologising.

"Yes you did," April whispered, tears running freely down her cheeks at that point.

"April," Amy implored again, wiping the tears from her sister's eyes whilst trying to stop her own from flowing. She swallowed hard. "I love you. I love you so much, but I'm doing this. I'm sorry that it affects the plans we made, but I'm doing it all the same. Before I go, I'd really appreciate it if you could understand and give me your blessing. Can you do that for me."

April paused, seeing the pain in her sister's eyes and almost wanting to meet her demands, but she knew inside that she simply couldn't. She sombrely shook her head. "I'm sorry, I can't."

Amy released her arm from her grasp, defeated. "So that's it then?"

April shrugged. "That's it."

Wiping her face quickly and taking a deep breath, April pounded on the door. "Ruthie, we're finished. Let me out _now_."

Ruthie opened the door from the other side, the triumphant smile on her face dissipating as she saw the tears. "Didn't you two…?"

April simply shook her head, making her way wordlessly to the counter.

Amy left the next day.

………………………………

_**Friday 18**__**th**__** October, 1942- Toccoa, Georgia**_

It was April's last day of her internship at the Toccoa Enquirer, and she spent her lunchtime sitting outside glumly eating her sandwich on the front steps of the building. Amy had been gone a week but the stain that their last encounter left was still evident. Part of April couldn't believe that she'd actually gone, the other part couldn't deny that, however angry she was with her sister, that she missed her. Moreover, she was at a loss for her own future

"Last day on the job and you're eating lunch on your own?" Hank's voice rang out as he appeared on the stairs behind her.

She craned her neck to look at him. "Oh, hi. It was a little too loud inside, I suppose."

"It's press day I suppose, but my sentiments exactly," He said gripping his coffee mug. "Mind if I join you?"

"Go ahead," She said, scooting over a little on the step to make space for him to sit down next to her.

"So how are you doing? Hank said. "Sad to be leaving?"

"A little," She said, mustering a grateful smile. "This has been a wonderful opportunity for me. Thanks, Hank."

"Not a problem, it's been a pleasure to have you," He nodded, smiling politely. He asked, nonchalantly. "When do you leave for Sarah Lawrence?"

She shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "…s'posed to leave this week."

"Supposed to?" He asked, as though pressing her for information.

"I…I'm not sure that I'm going anymore," She said quietly, taking a bit of her sandwich.

"Yes," Hank said tactfully. "My wife met your mother in the supermarket yesterday. She mentioned that your sister had decided to join the Nurse Cadets."

"Yes, she did," April said simply.

"That's a shame," He said, remarking without trying to cause any offence. "I know you were looking forward to going there together with her."

April simply shrugged.

"And…," he continued. "You expressed that that was the only thing holding you back from the internship at Epoch."

Amy winced. "Well, I suppose it's too late to worry about that now."

"Is it?" He asked, putting a finger to his lips. "Tell me April, what would you say if I were to tell you that I didn't let Marv send the rejection letter to Judy Orr?"

"What?" She asked, surprised. "Are you serious?"

"I'm afraid not," He said, unable to contain a small smile as he took out the folded letter of rejection that she'd given him to send to the magazine. "I'm sorry April but I knew you'd change your mind. It was too good an opportunity for you to turn down."

"Wow," She breathed, looking down at the letter. She looked up. "But wait, isn't it too late to respond now?"

He shook his head. "Marv can phone up today if you want him to, and you'd start next Monday."

"Next _Monday?" _She frowned. "That's so soon. There would be so much to organise. Accommodation for a start. Where would I stay?"

"Interns are provided with accommodation," He explained, frowning back at her. "Didn't you read the information pack.

"No," She grinned sheepishly. "I…I threw it in the trash actually. Ruthie has it though!"

"Then I'd start by getting that off of her," Hank shook his head at her. "What do you say?"

April bit her lip, thought after thought racing through her head trying to talk her out of it. _It's too short notice. I've never been to New York City. I'm not good enough to work with Judy Orr_. Suddenly Amy's thoughts returned to her about how she was afraid to do things on her own. She winced, thinking about how she was only proving Amy right with these thoughts. Who was she kidding, this was an incredible opportunity. She really wanted to do it, and really wanted to prove that she could do it on her own. "I'm in!"

…………………………………

_**Saturday 26**__**th**__**, 1942- Toccoa, Georgia**_

"Three cheers for April," Ruthie called out, holding up a glass and shouting above the music.

Three cheers rang out around April, who blushed slightly as she took a drink from her own glass. She'd worked her last shift at the diner and was leaving for New York City the next day, but unbeknownst to her Ruthie had arranged a small surprise leaving party for her in the diner that evening. Nothing big, just a bottle of fizzy donated by the staff at the Toccoa Enquirer and attendance from whoever happened to be in the diner that evening.

"Off to the big city, huh?" Bill asked, topping up her glass. "Good for you, kiddo."

"Thanks, Bill," She said, smiling. "Make sure you take care of Ruthie for me, alright? At least until you leave Toccoa, anyway."

"Course I will," He nodded, leaning into her. "But I just need to know one thing so that I can do that?"

"What's that?" She asked, confused.

"I need to know what happened between her and Frank," He shrugged his shoulders.

"Oh," Her eyes lit up. "You mean she still hasn't told you."

"She's told _you_?" Bill demanded, sighing heavily. "Everyone knows but me, huh."

"Stop it, Bill," Ruthie said, appearing behind them. "The more you want to find out makes me more determined that you'll never find out!"

"Drivin' me crazy," He rolled his eyes.

"Anyway," April spoke up, standing up and motioning towards the door. "I should really get going. I still have some packing to do."

"Ohhh," Ruthie pouted. "Don't leave me yet."

April smiled. "I'll be home for Christmas, Ruthie."

"I know, I know, but still," Ruthie said, pulling her best friend into a hug. Her voice cracked with emotion, which was unusual for the hardened Ruthie. "I'm going to miss you." 

"Hmmm," Bill frowned, shifting his shoulders uncomfortably as the two girls pulled apart. He motioned behind him. "I'm not so good with emotional broads so I'm gonna…you know, leave you both to it. Good luck in New York, kiddo."

"Thanks Bill," She waved him away. She turned back to Ruthie, pulling her into a hug again. "I'll write you, I promise."

"…and bring me a present home from the City at Christmas?"

April rolled her eyes.

……………………………..

Closing the door behind her, leaving the swirl of noise coming from inside the diner and enjoying the sudden peacefulness of the street, April folded her hands against the cold as she prepared for the walk home. She heard the door open behind her, followed by David's voice calling her back. "April."

She slowly turned round, smiling politely at him. "David."

He took a step towards her, putting a hand to his chest. "I know you probably don't want to speak to me, but…."

"It's alright David," She smiled. "I'm sorry I've been so cold to you recently. I didn't mean for you to get caught up in the crossfire of everything that happened."

"That's alright, I shouldn't have been so confrontational about it," He apologised. "Have you spoken to her?"

She shook her head, offering him a tactful smile. "No I haven't. With all due respect though David, I don't want to talk about it."

"Understood," He held up his hands defencelessly. "I really just wanted to congratulate you on the internship. You're going to have a great time in New York."

"Here's hoping," She smiled, noticing a small package in his hand. "What's that?"

"Oh," He held it up, handing it to her. "Just a little something I got you. I saw it in a shop today in town and I thought you might like it."

"Oh," She smiled, blushing slightly, taking it from him and opening it to reveal an ornate, empty photo album. It was beautiful. "This is beautiful David, thank you. You didn't have to do this."

"I thought you'd like it," He smiled, before adding as tactfully as possible. "Plus I thought you could put all of your photos from New York in it, so you can show everyone what you've been up to. Plus, it was also to say thank you…thank you for the library card."

She couldn't stop herself from smiling as she look from the album up towards him. He was such an incredible, thoughtful man, and her feelings for him hadn't lessened any. She couldn't hold herself back from uttering: "She doesn't know how lucky she is, you know…to have you."

"Aww," He rolled his eyes, waving a hand at her and joking. "I know, I know, if only you'd gotten to me before Amy, right?"

She raised her eyes slightly, thinking to herself "_if only you knew"_. She simply held her arms open towards him. "Come on then, give me a hug goodbye."

He gently leant in, pulling her in close for a hug. _Bad idea_, she thought to herself, breathing in his masculine scent and liking it immensely.

"Long hug," He remarked, laughing.

"Oh," She hadn't even realised, so lost in the hug. She pulled back quickly. "Well, goodbye David."

"Have a great time over there," He smiled again.

She suddenly felt sad, not knowing when or if she'd ever see those beautiful brown eyes again. She wondered if he would ever know how she felt about him. Without thinking, she leaned forward and placed kiss on his cheek. "I'll miss you. Take care of yourself over there, wherever you end up."

With that, she left into the night.

She left for New York the Next day.

……………………………………..

_**November 19**__**th**__**, 1942- Toccoa, Georgia**_

Ruthie couldn't believe the sombre atmosphere in the diner as the troopers slowly shuffled in one after the other. She had a nervous feeling in her stomach that she knew what the atmosphere meant. She'd been dreading it for some time now. When she saw Bill's face as he came into the diner, she knew it was true. He came over to her, smiling simply at her as he sat down at the counter and pulled out his cigarettes. "How we doin', Ruthie?"

"You're leaving, aren't you?" She asked, wiping the counter with a frown on her face.

"'Fraid so. We're moving out this week sometime," He told her, giving her a joking pout. "Passes revoked for tomorrow."

"That's a shame," She patted his shoulder sympathetically. "I liked havin' you fellas around. The atmosphere in here won't even be half as good once you leave."

"Oh Ruthie…you're right," He joked, beaming at her.

She playfully hit his arm.

"Say, since we're leaving and I might not see you again," He gestured with his hand. "Why don't you do me a favour and end my torment by tellin' me what happened with Perco."

She took a deep sigh. He wasn't going to give on this, was he? Relenting, figuring he was right, they'd likely never see each other again, she leant into his ear and whispered the information that he wanted to know.

His eyes grew wide as he recoiled in disgust. "What?!"

…………………………………………………………


	11. Chapter 11 In my absence

**That Is How Long I Have Loved You: Chapter 11**

………………………………………………………**..**

**Heeeey! Sorry, it has been a wee while but I'm in the middle of exams. My last one is a week today though so after its done I fully intend to throw myself right into this story. This chapter might be a little boring, it's mainly just a filler between the departures and Christmas furlough. Thanks sooo much for the lovely reviews. Enjoy!!**

………………………………………………………………………………………**..**

**Amy**

…………

_5.30 a.m. _

…………_._

_Amy lay on the grass in the park in Toccoa, propping her head up on her elbow as she looked over at the pond. It was her favourite spot in the whole park, and the warm, sunny day made it all the better. She sighed contentedly, leaning back into the arms of David, who just so happened to be lying behind her, cushioning her gently with his muscular frame._

"It's so quiet up here," She remarked, hearing nothing but the birds chirping in the sky and the steady beating of their hearts. 

"_That's because everybody left," He said with a chuckle, rubbing one of her shoulders with his hand._

"_I thought I was the one that left," She said, a little confused as she leaned back further into the comfort that the crook of his neck had to offer._

_He shrugged absent-mindedly. "Maybe you did."_

"I feel so alone," She frowned, looking up at the blue sky as she felt a glimmer of hope rise up within her. "You didn't leave though, did you?"

"_Course I didn't," He leaned forward, whispering into her ear. "I'm here. I'm always here."_

Suddenly the sky turned grey and peals of thunder rang through the sky in angry clanks. 

**Clang. Clang. Clang. Clang.**

Amy sat up with a start, her ears instantly invaded by the steel bell being rung violently up and down the corridors outside of her dorm room. Rubbing her bleary eyes and groaning in protest of the noise she let go of the dream that she'd been having. She wasn't in the park with David. Nope, she was in her dormitory at the University of Wyoming, where she'd spent the last week in the first stages of her training as an Army Nurse Cadet.

"Up and at 'em, Ladies," A gruff voice cried out into the hallway as the bell continued to ring vigorously. "Roll call in ten in the front court!"

One of her room mates nearby groaned loudly and discontentedly as she thumped an aggravated hand into her pillow, mumbling against the fabric. "Damn that old drill Sergeant. I'd love to ram that bell down the back of his throat."

Amy raised an eye in surprise as she forced her legs over the side of bed and jumped onto her feet. She nudged the girl's bed with her knee. "Get up! He'll make the whole dorm suffer if we're late for roll call."

In about five minutes she'd dressed in the hideous yet modest Physical Training garments which they had been given and herded herself, along with the rest of her room mates, out into the front court as instructed. After roll call, she found herself once more in the grip of the _Morning Mile_, a mile-long jog which they had to complete every single morning before obstacle course drills.

The Drill Sergeant, and ex-military man called out of retirement in order to train this young squad of trainees, run alongside them, barking orders, and in impressive shape considering his small, withered yet hardened frame. "Move those legs, Ladies. An unfit physique has no place in the Army Nurse Corps. Move it! Move it!"

Amy ran, managing somehow to keep up with the rest of the girls despite the pain burning through hers legs with every movement. She breathed deeply, disappointed with herself. She'd always known that, despite having a decent figure, that she wasn't the most physically fit girl in the world. She hadn't thought that she was this bad, however.

"What is it with this old crock?" One of the other girls who she hadn't yet met hissed at her, sidling up to her ever so slightly as they ran side by side. "The army didn't want him anymore so they palmed him off on us?"

Amy just chuckled amicably as she focussed her attention on getting from A to B.

……………

_7.30 a.m._

……………_._

Amy wolfed hungrily into the brown slop on the plastic tray in front of her. It was supposed to be the chef's special porridge, according to the writing scrawled messily on the chalkboard above the serving hatch anyway, yet she severely had her doubts. She didn't care much, however. It was passable as food (edible, anyway), and after her morning exercise she was absolutely famished.

"White," A voice struck up.

Amy looked up to see a girl in uniform holding the brown post satchel.

"White?" Her voice repeated.

"That's me," Amy put her hand up slightly.

"One today," The girl said, tossing a letter onto the table in front of her.

Amy beamed at the piece of paper, instantly recognising the handwriting. _David_, she thought to herself as she safely tucked the letter into her pocket for later.

……………….

_2.30 p.m._

………………

Amy furrowed her brow in concentration as she wrapped a strip of white gauze around the head of a mannequin which was devoid of a lower half.

"Now ladies, what you want to do is get those bandages on nice and tight. You want to make sure that, should a bomb go off, that the bandage would stay firmly intact," The teaching nurse lectured, walking slowly up and down the length of the classroom as she carefully observed the work of the girls in the room. She shook her head in despair as she looked at the efforts of the girl sitting next to Amy. "Martha…."

"What?" Martha whispered to Amy as the nurse walked past. "What does she want from me? I'm trying my best."

Amy stifled a laugh, gesturing towards the girl's mannequin, the head covered almost entirely in gauze. She searched for the most tactful way of putting it. "Well, she said to bandage around the forehead, not turn it into Tutankhamun…"

"Pffft, it's Friday. I'm allowed to be a little sloppy today," Martha rolled her eyes, an excited smile playing about her lips. "Besides, I'm too excited about tonight to concentrate."

"Tonight?" Amy frowned.

"We're going out on the town, some of the girls and myself,"

"Going where?"

"Oh you know," Martha shrugged. "Get some decent food, see if we can get some of the local fellas to buy us some drinks. Why don't you come?"

Amy bit her lip, not really wanting to do more that evening than have an early night in bed a long lie of a Saturday morning. However, part of her was eager to fit in with the other girls, so she reluctantly agreed. "Sure, sure I'll come for a while."

"Excellent," Martha beamed, looking back at her mannequin. "Now, how do you suppose I fix this?"

………….

11.30 p.m.

………….

Amy returned to her dormitory early and alone that evening. She'd had a fun night, she supposed, but hadn't particularly enjoyed the company of the of the young male University students who mooned over the student nurses, trying to buy them drinks in order to buy their affections. The other nurses had lapped it up, but by contrast it left her feeling cold, and missing David. She'd managed to hold out until just after 11 but, despite protests from the other girls of "you're such a bore" and "Come on, stay just a little longer", she'd made her excuses and slipped off home. She'd returned to the dormitory to find it blissfully quiet, save for one girl slumbering contentedly in the far corner of the room. Quickly changing into her nightgown, she hopped into bed, switching on the small light on her bedside table. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out the letter from David which she'd guarded close to her person all day long.

_Amy_,

_It's turning cold here in Toccoa, colder with every passing day. If I was a particularly smooth man I would say that it turned cold the day that it left, that perhaps you took the sunshine away with you. I wont subject you to such sickeningly sweet lines however, well, not explicitly anyway. It sure is cold here though. We were given our winter clothing a little early due to the weather. A heavy coat and some shirts which actually fit. A complete godsend if you ask me. _

_Toccoa isn't the same without you, and I truly mean that. Don't get me wrong, I know that it's your hometown but it was never Beirut on a Saturday night, yet somehow it feels duller still without you here. Still, I won't have to endure it much longer. Word has it that we're on the move soon. Away from Toccoa._

_Have you written to April? You'll be happy to know that she made the peace with me the night before she left for the city. That's right, she accepted that position in the city. I'm not sure whether or not your parents told you. You should write to her andmake the peace before Christmas. Speaking of which, I am counting down the days. _

_Stay safe for me and study well. I'd like to know that, if I find myself with an arm hanging loose, that you'd be able to patch me back together. _

_Yours,_

_David_

She smiled fondly at the letter in front of her, lifting it to her nose slightly to see if she might even be able to smell the faintest trace of his scent. In reality she couldn't, but she tricked herself into believing that she could, reminiscing fondly of his warm, comforting, masculine smell. She reached over to her bedside table for some paper and a pen. Pausing for a moment to collect her thoughts in her head, she put pen to paper and scrawled a reply to his letter. When she was done she folded it, kissed it gently and placed it back on her bedside table. She lay back for a moment, closing her eyes and thinking about what he'd said in his letter, specifically the part about April. He knew that she was right and that she really should try to make the peace. She reached again for her pen and picked up another piece of paper. She hesitantly wrote a letter to her sister, pouring her heart out over two side of A4 paper. She didn't realise how deeply she'd immersed herself in the letter until she saw a few runaway tears slide off of her cheek and hit the paper, sending the ink down the page in a vertical line. She wiped at her cheeks, blowing on the paper to dry it. When she was done she kissed it, just as she'd done with David's. She folded the letter up but, instead of placing on top of his to be sent in the morning post, she place it in the bottom drawer…along with the others that she'd written to her sister every single day since her arrival but hadn't that courage to send. With a heavy heart, she flipped the light on her bedside lamp, hoping that sleep would find her easily that night.

……………………………………

**APRIL**

_**Sunday 27**__**th**__** October, 1942- New York City**_

April pressed her face against the cold glass of the taxicab window as the skyscrapers rolled past in front of her very eyes. She was so engrossed in the sight outside of the window that she barely noticed that her fingers twiddled nervously against each other in her lap, nor did she notice when the vehicle came to a screeching halt. She didn't notice, that is, until the cab driver addressed her gruffly.

"This is where you wanted, right lady?" He stared at her in confusion as she just stared out of the window, her mouth agog. "Sullivan Street, right?"

"Um, I think so," She said, snapping back to reality and looking at the address on the letter which she pulled from her pocket. "Sullivan Street, yes."

"Well, here you are," He said, motioning suggestively with his hand for her to hurry up and get out.

"Sorry," She shook her head distractedly, reaching into her other pocket and pulling out some crumpled bills, handing them to him. "I think that should cover it."

She climbed out, the taxicab barely waiting a moment before it sped off back and into the queue of traffic in the street. April stared at the multi-storey building in front of her, biting her lip anxiously. They didn't make 'em this height in Toccoa, that's for sure. Struggling with her case, she manoeuvred herself up several flights of stairs until she reached the door. Unsure as to whether it would be rude to simply walk inside, she wrapped gently on the knocker. A few seconds later, it swung open and a young man revealed himself. He was a young man, wearing a shirt and sweater vest over perfectly ironed trousers, glasses sitting neatly on the end of his nose and his dark hair perfectly gelled to one side. Pity that his pristine appearance was ruined by the scowl on his face. He looked her up and down. "What?"

She felt a little unsure of herself of a sudden, and found herself stammering. "I…I'm one of the interns for Epoch…."

"Girls across the hall," He cut her off in her stride, thrusting his hand out and pointing the apartment door directly across the hall. Barely a second later he'd left her alone again, standing in the hallway. She spun on her heel, walking over to the door he'd pointed out and knocking gently on it, musing in her head about what colourful character might be behind this one. A few seconds later this door swung open, a wavy, raven-haired girl with ruby red lips and a cheeky smile revealed herself. She flashed April a smile. "Hi, there!"

"Are you with…Epoch?" April asked tentatively.

The girl nodded enthusiastically. "You must be April, right? I've been waiting on you! I'm Janice, come on in…."

Janice ushered her inside the cramped apartment before she could even catch her breath. She looked around at the décor, humble yet homey. "I knocked on the door across the way."

"Oh, you met _him_ then, I take it?" Janice wrinkled her nose in disdain.

"Yes," April said, relieved to know that she wasn't the only one to find him rude. "Who is he?"

"Another intern, a journalism intern the same as me," She shuddered visibly. "He's vile, isn't it? I don't know what he's complaining about, you know, having that big old apartment all to himself."

"Am I the last one here?" April questioned.

Janice nodded. "He and I are from New York so we didn't have far to travel. Where are you from."

"Toccoa, Georgia," April replied proudly.

"Oh," Janice scratched her head, wrinkling her nose again. "Well I've never heard of it so it must be small-town. Come on, I'll show you your room. I hope you don't mind that I took the bigger one…."

………………………….

The next day, April sat nervously in Judy Orr's office, having been ushered inside and instructed to take a seat by a secretary on the main floor. She looked around at the walls of the spacious office and its cream-coloured walls, walls which bore numerous mounted original prints by Judy herself, many of which she recognised, not to mention certificates from several colleges and other Institutes of higher education.

Suddenly the door behind her swung open as Judy Orr entered the room. Reacting on instinct, April quickly rose to her feet as she woman made her way behind her desk, facing April. Just put a hand on the back of her plush, leather desk chair, giving a cool chuckle. "You don't have to salute me or anything, you know."

April's cheeks instantly reddened. She smiled politely, taking her seat again as Judy motioned for her to sit down. She took a chance to really look at this woman sitting in front of her. Judy Orr was unlike any woman April had ever seen in her life before. Her hair was cut short, cropped in a very masculine fashion close to her head yet somehow retaining a sense of femininity. More significantly, however, she wore a pair of loose-fitting, mens' slack trousers over her long legs, teamed with a mustard yellow polo necked jumper, her hand jammed coolly into her trouser pockets. April tugged at the hem of her dress, suddenly feeling very dowdy in her floral tea dress and pale pink cardigan.

Judy seemed to pick up on her discomfort, gently joking. "Feeling a little out of place in the city."

"Something like that," April replied, mumbling at first but trying to raise her voice to convey confidence.

"Don't worry, I'll take you under my wing," She winked at her. She pulled a portfolio from a nearby filing cabinet, pulling out some of April's photos from within it. "I really liked your photos, April. I take it Marv told you as such."

April nodded, a little smile creeping onto her face. "Yes, he did. Thank you so much for the compliment, Ms Orr. I'm a great admirer of your work."

"Stop, you'll make me blush," Judy joked, looking back down at the photos again as her smile dissipated. "Your work is very good April, but it's not perfect."

Her face fell.

"Don't worry," Judy smiled reassuringly. "Once I'm done with you, you will be…"

April stared at Judy, in awe of her. She was sure that this woman would have a large impact on her. A very large impact indeed.

……………………………. 


	12. Chapter 12 Christmas Furlough

**That Is How Long I Have Loved You: Chapter 12**

………………………………………………………..

**Yaay, my exams are over. I can finally devote more time to this story along with much daytime tv :p. Anyway, this chapter is a bit of a long one, sorry! I got a bit too into it. Plus, it's a Christmassy chapter, so to get myself in the mood to write it I watched a couple of Christmassy movies (The Holiday, Holiday Inn and Love Actually)…and now I wish it was Christmas. Oh dear :s. Oh well, hopefully you all enjoy it. Thank you for the lovely reviews on the last chapter, they were greatly appreciated : ) xxx**

………………………………………………………………………………………**..**

_**December 22**__**nd**__**, 1942- Wyoming.**_

"Amy…," one of her dorm mates pushed her shoulder gently, and again once more when she received no response to that first one. "Amy, _wake up!_"

"What?" Amy said, opening her eyes and sitting bolt upright. "What is it, Helen?"

"You fell asleep at your desk again," Helen replied, indicating down at the textbook lying open on the desk which Amy had had her cheek pressed against all night."

"Damn," Amy rubbed at her cheek. "I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"Well you'd better hurry up," Helen pointed to the clock. "You're going to be late for the exam if you don't hurry up, and so will I for staying behind to wake you up."

"_Damn it_," Amy repeated, stronger this time. She leapt to her feet and reached to her coat, quickly rushing to the packed suitcase which lay next to her bed. "Give me a hand with this will you?"

"Why are you taking this to the exam?" Helen asked, putting a hand on the handle and grunting at the weight.

"I have to catch my train home straight after the exam,"

"Oh," Helen said. "Home Sweet Home for the holidays, huh?"

"Something like that…."

…………………………………………..

_**22**__**nd**__** December, 1942- New York City**_

April walked through the photography department of Epoch magazine, one hand swinging freely at her side and the other clutching at an A4 file as she said hello to all of the secretaries that she passed by. She spied Judy walking into her office, a steaming cup of coffee in her hand. She rushed to catch up with her. "Judy!"

"Mmm hmm?" Judy asked, absent-mindedly staring at a newspaper lying on her desk.

"I just developed those photos for you," April said, handing her the file.

"Great, thanks," Judy took it, opening it and glancing over the contents. "They came out well." 

"They did," April nodded. "I think that they really did."

"Well, thanks for that April," Judy smiled as she set the file down. She pointed out of her office and to the small suitcase sitting next to April's makeshift desk. "Is it today you go home?"

"Yeah, I got a ticket home on the sleeper train. I need to leave around five," April replied, looking at the clock, which had just struck 4 p.m.

Judy walked over to her office window, a hand in her trouser pocket, biting her lip as she looked out of the window. "You know, the snow is really coming down out there. Why don't you just go now and beat the traffic?"

"I don't mind," April shrugged nonchalantly. "Are you sure?"

"Course, "Judy laughed coolly. "Don't you want to go home or something."

"Well…yes and no," April rolled her eyes at Judy's stare. "It's a long story…."

"Well, I'll make it easy for you," Judy smiled fondly, taking April's coat from the coat rack and handing it to her. "You _have _to go home. I need someone to take me some photographs of a rustic Christmas."

"A _rustic_ Christmas," April echoed with a laugh, putting on her coat. "What are you doing for Christmas anyway?"

"Oh you know," Judy leaned against her door casually. "The usual. Myself, some friends and good old E and B."

"E and B?" April wrinkled her nose in confusion.

"Eggnog…with brandy," Judy winked. She looked April up and down, shaking her head slightly in amusement. "Do you have any dresses in that suitcase of yours?"

"A few, why?" April asked.

"Because judging by what you were wearing when you first showed up in my office, I'm guessing not too many girls where _those_ back where you're from…," Judy motioned towards the belted trousers that April wore. She chuckled. "I'm having an influence on you, I see…."

"They're just practical," April said, blushing slightly but hiding it with a laugh. She put a hand up to touch her own recently-cropped hair. It wasn't cropped as short into the head as Judy's, but it hung in curls above her shoulders. Shorter than before, certainly. "More like _New York_ is having an effect on me."

"Mmm hmm," Judy raised her eyebrows, amused.

"Alright, alright, I'll change," April relented, knowing that Judy was right. She could just envision her mother's face in her head if she saw her daughter climb off of that train in trousers of all things. It was almost an amusing thought.

"Oh wait, before you go," Judy called her back, reaching into one of her desk drawers and producing a wrapped, square-shaped package. She held it out for April to take. "Just a little Christmas gift."

"Oh," April smiled, biting her lip a little awkwardly. "I'm sorry Judy, I didn't know that we exchanging gifts. I'm afraid I haven't got you anything."

"Pfft, don't worry about it," Judy waved a hand dismissively. "We don't pay you enough here at Epoch to expect you to buy gifts."

April smiled at the joke as she unwrapped the rich, red gift-wrap. Inside was a blue satin material-covered photograph album. She opened it up, thumbing through the photographs, recognising them as the ones she'd taken from Toccoa which Marv had sent to Judy in secrecy to claim the assistantship for her. All of the ones of Easy Company… "Wow."

"You like?" Judy asked, her fingers hooked around the belt loops of her own trousers as she peered over it as well. "I thought you'd want these back…and what kind of person would I be if I didn't give you a nice album to put them into?"

"It's really nice…," April breathed, almost in a whisper as she looked over the photos, a thousand memories flooding back to her. Memories she'd tried her damnedest to forget. "Thank you so much, Judy."

"I have to say," Judy began, reaching over and pointing to one of the photos of David sitting at the counter in his usual spot. "There are a lot of one with this man in them. Anyone in particular."

"No," April said, closing the album abruptly, brushing off the comment dismissively. "He's no one in particular. Thank you so much again for the gift, Judy. Have a great Christmas…"

………………………………..

_**23**__**rd**__** December, 1942- Toccoa, Georgia**_

Mr. White parked his car outside the snow-covered family home, casting a smile towards Amy sitting in the passenger seat. "Home Sweet Home, darling."

Amy yawned, the long day and overnight journey catching up on her. "Feels like forever."

"Well, everyone is home and they can't wait to see you," He said, getting out and opening the passenger door for her. "April got home this morning…."

"_Everyone_ can't wait to see me, huh?" Amy said to herself, biting her lip and climbing out of the car and following her father inside.

"There's my girl!" Mrs White threw open the front door, pulling her daughter into a hug. "We've missed you so much."

"Mom," Amy smiled, breathing in her mother's perfume as she rested her head in the crook of her neck.

Mrs White pulled back, frowning as she looked at her daughter's pale, tired face. "Are you alright, darling?"

"Yeah," Amy said, trying to perk herself up. "It was just a long journey."

Mrs White smiled at her daughter, putting an arm around her shoulders and ushering her towards the kitchen. "You just need a little home cooking, that's all."

Suddenly Amy found herself in the kitchen and face-to-face with April, who sat at the kitchen table, nursing a cup of steaming hot coffee. Both girls simply stared at each other, each one taken aback by how different her sister looked. April hadn't seen her sister looking so pale and tired, and Amy couldn't believe her sister's short hair and ruby red lips. Amy quietly took a seat opposite April at the table, smiling politely at her.

"I suppose you've both brought me a great big pile of dirty laundry," Mrs White said, dragging Amy's suitcase into the kitchen and breaking the awkward silence between the two girls. She sighed as she fiddled with the clips on April's suitcase. "Might as well start with yours, April."

Both girls sat in an uncomfortable silence, occasionally catching each other's eyes and smiling politely. Mrs White looked at her daughters with worry as she unpacked clothing from April's suitcase. She'd hoped that the distance would've put an end to the silly little quibble between them. She'd been wrong, apparently. Her attention was averted, however, as she pulled out a pair of black men's trousers from April's suitcase. She gasped, holding them up by the end of one of the leg hems. "…and just who do these belong to young lady?"

April looked over, rolling her eyes. "They're mine, Mom."

Amy raised an eyebrow along with her mother.

"Come again?" Mrs White asked.

"They're mine," April shrugged nonchalantly. "They're practical for working in."

"My, my, my," Mrs White tutted, tossing them into the laundry basket. She tutted again as silence fell over the room again. It was supposed to be Christmas, for goodness sake! "Come on, girls. You must have so much to talk about…."

Both girls just sat awkwardly in their chairs.

"Very well," Mrs White said tersely, taking out the last of April's dirty laundry and snapping the case shut. She was a determined woman, and new that she could get her daughters talking again if she so wished it. "We're going out tonight, to Steven's School Christmas Recital."

"Do we have to go?" Amy asked with a yawn, her face drained.

"No, no, neither of you are going, in fact," Mrs White shook her head. "I don't know if you noticed but our Christmas tree is still bare. I want you both to decorate it whilst we're out."

Both girls looked at each other, biting their lips.

…………………………………

Later that night when their parents and Stephen had left, both girls stood in the living room in front of the bare Christmas tree, a safe distance apart.

"I suppose we'd better get started," April piped up, looking over at Amy, who was looking increasingly pale and peaky. "Mom'll throw a fit if she comes back and this thing is still bare."

"Right," Amy held a hand to her head, turning to face one of the cupboard. "I…I'll just get that box of baubles." 

Amy walked over to the large, oak cabinet in the corner of the room. She reached up on her tiptoes to reach the box on the to shelf, suddenly feeling faint as she did so. The next thing she knew, she was falling backwards. April rushed forward to catch her before she fell, causing both to fall down to their knees.

"Oh my…are you alright?" April asked, concerned.

"I..I'm fine, I just…," Amy waved a hand dismissively, her spare hand clutching at her forehead. "I'm just feeling a little…."

"What's wrong with you?"

"Just a busy day, I think. Exams, no sleep and barely time to eat…," Amy said, sighing heavily.

"Wow, they're really working you hard out there, huh?" April said, putting a hand out and stroking her sister's arm sympathetically.

"I'll be fine, I'll be fine…," Amy said, struggling to her feet but stumbling again.

"No you won't," April said, stepping in and putting a hand on her sister's back. "Look at you, you're exhausted. Come on, you're going to bed, _now_…."

"But the tree," Amy protested weakly as April started to manoeuvre her up the stairs.

"I'll take care of the tree," April insisted as they arrived at their bedroom. She tucked her sister up in bed, watching as her eyes closed slowly, her body succumbing to sleep. She sat on the side of the bed, looking at her for a moment with concern. She'd never seen her sister so burned out and exhausted. Since they'd been little nothing seemed too big for her twin sister. She leaned forward, giving her sister's forehead an affectionate kiss before heading back down to decorate the tree.

…………………………

_**24**__**th**__** December, 1942- Toccoa**_

Wrapped up in her thick, brown winter coat and scarf, April breathed in the crisp, winter air of the park as she walked through, snapping away at the snowy scenes with her camera. She'd missed this place, and couldn't help but think that it never looked nicer than at Christmastime. Judy wanted pictures of a rustic Christmas, and she intended to provide just that.

"Hey," Ruthie said, stamping her feet against ground to heat up her body against the freezing cold. "Hurry it up, would ya? I'm freezing!"

"You wanted to come," April teased, not looking away from her camera lens.

"Well, look at you," Ruthie teased back, a smile about her lips. "Looks like you got some sass with that new haircut of yours."

"Hey," April laughed defensively. "You said you liked my hair."

"I do, I do," Ruthie reassured her. She folded her arms against the cold as April began taking photographs again. "So is everything okay between you two now?"

April shrugged. "Well, we're talking…sort of. I don't know. It's like the bad blood has gone, well, it certainly has for me, but it doesn't seem like either of us can pluck up the courage to talk about it what happened before we both left."

"I suppose it's better for you now that _he_'s gone," Ruthie mused, tracing a line with one finger in the snow lying on top of a nearby bench.

April's finger suddenly paused above the flash button at the mere mention of him. She licked her lips, suddenly feeling a frog in her throat. "Um…right."

Ruthie continued. "You don't think about him anymore, do you?"

"Of course not," She lied, wishing it was the truth. "I'm over it."

"Right…," Ruthie said, entirely unconvinced.

…………………………………….

_**Christmas Day**_

"Wake up, it's Christmas!" Steven banged loudly on the girls' bedroom door before thundering his way down to the living room. 

Both girls sat bolt upright in bed at the sound of their brother's shrill voice. They rubbed their eyes blearily.

"Merry Christmas," Amy said, clearing her throat and smiling meekly at her sister.

"Merry Christmas," April said, smiling back before looking own at the foot of the bed. A wrapped present lay at the foot of each girl's bed. "Uh oh, Mom's homemade gift…."

"You first," Amy said.

"Together?" April asked tentatively.

Amy nodded and both girls tore open the gift wrap to reveal heavy woollen, knitted jumpers of a garish red colour and a large snowman painted on the front. They held them up in front of them, looked at each other out of the corner of their eyes…and burst out laughing.

………………………………..

Later that afternoon, ever-determined to have her daughters speaking before they left Toccoa once more, Mrs White had sent both girls out for a walk with the dog on the pretence that they had to get out of the kitchen whilst she prepared dinner. As they walked through the snow-covered streets, they both began to feel the ice thawing between them.

Amy seized the opportunity. "I missed you, you know."

"I missed you too," April smiled back, feeling the emotion become a little too overpowering and so jostling her sister playfully on the arm.

"So, can we put it all behind us?" Amy asked hopefully. "I know that you're probably still furious at me, but it's Christmas. I'd hate to start the New Year with us still at each other's throats."

April cut her off, shaking her head. "I'm not furious at you, Amy. Hell, you were right. I was too afraid to take a leap on my own but, look at me, Amy. Have you ever seen me look happier?"

"Actually, no…," Amy observed. "You're glowing."

"This _was_ the right thing to do," April reassured her sister. "I just couldn't see it at the time."

"Well, we got there, right?" Amy laughed, casually reaching down and gathering some snow in her hand. "Now, I have been _dying_ to do this…."

She launched the snowball at her sister. April burst out laughing, brushing the snow off of her jacket. "Oh, that's it…I'm gonna get you now…."

……………………………..

_**December 27**__**th**__**, 1942- Toccoa**_

Amy and April curled up next to each other on the sofa, looking at the newspaper to see which movies were showing that day.

Amy's eyes lit up. "Look, they're showing _Holiday Inn_ for the holidays. I saw that one while I was in New York. I'll tell ya, that Fred Astaire can dance with me anytime he wants…."

"I don't look him," April disagreed. "Too cocky. I like the other one…what's his name?"

"Bing Crosby?" Amy wrinkled her nose. "Really?"

"Mmmm hmmm," April nodded. "That sounds good, let's go see that one."

"Okay," Amy set the paper down one the armrest of the sofa, shivering. "It is _freezing_ in here."

"Oh," April motioned to dark hearth of the fire. "Fire's gone out again. I'll go and get some more wood.

April hopped to her feet and put on her jacket, making her way into the freezing afternoon air and out into the garden. She walked to the bottom of the path, picking up a few bits of a firewood from a large pile of it. When she bent back up, her arms full of fire wood, she found herself face-to-face with…David, a knapsack slung over his shoulder and a heavy winter coat over his dress uniform.

She nearly dropped the wood, stunned. She couldn't find the words, save for the following. "David…what are…?"

"Just visiting," He smiled at her, putting his knapsack on the ground.

She looked at him, dumbfounded. She felt like she'd just taken two huge steps backwards. She'd tried so hard to stop thinking about him and, with time, it _had_ become ever so slightly easier, but here he was, standing in front of her…and her heart was beating like a train and her stomach fluttering.

He looked at her, frowning at her blank stare. "Aren't you going to invite me in?"

"Uh, sure," She cleared her throat. "Come on in."

They began to walk up the path side-by-side.

"Let me take those for you," He said, gesturing to the firewood.

"It's fine," She shook her head, avoiding his eye contact. "I've got it."

"Okay. I like your hair by the way. It really suits you," He complimented her.

"Oh, thanks," She smiled, electricity shooting up her arm as he accidentally grazed against her.

Amy suddenly appeared at the door just as the two approached the stairs. Her eyes wide with surprise. "Did I hear…David!"

She'd thought she'd heard his voice, but had thought it was just her imagination. No, here he was, standing right here in front of her. Her heart leapt into her throat. She couldn't deny that she'd missed him, no matter how casual she'd been determined to keep things between them, but she could never have imagined just how happy she'd be to see him standing there. Without thinking, she flew down the stairs and into his arms. "David."

……………

At dinner that night David, who had been warmly welcomed by the family, was the guest of honour.

"I have to say David," Mr White gushed. "I think you're a fine young man for our Amy, given that you've come all this way during your Christmas break just to see her."

Amy and David smiled lovingly at each other from across the table.

April shifted uncomfortably in her hair. It'd been a while since she'd had to see scenes like this and it all came back to her like a punch to the stomach. She couldn't stand it, couldn't bear it any longer. She pushed her hair back and stood up. "May I be excused?"

Without waiting for an answer, she began to absent herself from the room, stopping only when Amy grabbed her arm as she passed by.

"Are you alright?" Amy asked, her eyes full of concern.

"I'm fine," April nodded, looking away. "I just have a tummy ache." 

Climbing the stairs into the bedroom, April closed her eyes and sat down on the ground. She clutched her legs to her chest as she listened to everyone laughing and joking downstairs. She felt more than ever like a shrinking violet. As a tear or two began to make their way down her cheeks, she spied some white paper poking out of the side of Amy's suitcase. Without thinking, she leant forward and tugged at it, revealing it to be a stack of letter. Addressed from David, she noticed. Perhaps a glutton for punishment, she opened one, scanning its contents. Sighing as she set it down in her lap, she leaned against the wardrobe helplessly. "He really loves her, doesn't he?"

April lay on her bed for about half an hour, just thinking. The sound of Amy taking the steps two-by-two filled the air. She finally poked her head around the door. "April, aren't you going to get ready to go see _Holiday Inn_? I take it you don't mind if David comes now?"

"I'm not going," April replied, her voice croaky.

"Why not?" Amy asked, concerned. "Still feeling ill?"

"Yes…," She replied simply.

"Okay, well feel better," Amy said, closing the door behind her.

………………………

Amy and David walked arm-in-arm out of the movie theatre, fresh from watching _Holiday Inn_.

"So tell me," Amy asked playfully. "Can you dance like Bing or Fred?"

"What do you think?" He laughed, shaking his head, joking. "…of course I can."

She laughed, rubbing his arm affectionately. "I've missed that humour. You know, part of me didn't think you were actually going to show up."

"What, you thought it was an empty promise?"

"Well, sort of," She replied with a wink.

"_Honey_," He joked, mimicking Bing Crosby's voice. "_Earth, Wind and fire couldn't keep me from you."_

She laughed affectionately. "So how long can you stay?"

"Just one more day, I'm afraid," He said regretfully. "I told my mom I'd be home for New Years Eve."

"Well, we should really make the most of it, shouldn't we?"

…………………………..

_**December 28**__**th**__**, 1942- Toccoa, Georgia**_

As it approached 11.30 p.m, April couldn't sleep. Just knowing that he was in the house, that he was sleeping downstairs on the family sofa. She might've been just shy of 20 years old, but she was fast learning that love was anything but simple, like the fairy tales of her childhood years would've led her to believe. Every girl should grow up to believe that she is the Cinderella of her own life, to believe that her own Prince Charming is waiting for her. Someone hadn't quite explained to her the fact that, in her world, Amy was the Cinderella. April, by contrast, was realising that she herself was the sister who loves Prince Charming just as much, but for whom the glass slipper doesn't quite fit. She groaned, thoughts like that spinning round and round in her head. She rose out of bed, grabbed her dressing gown and crept downstairs, tiptoeing so as to not wake the slumbering household. She tiptoed past the living room and into the kitchen. She opened the fridge, pouring herself a cup of milk.

"Can't sleep?" David's voice came from behind her.

She whipped round to find him standing in the doorway, shorts and a t-shirt and his hair all dishevelled. She smiled timidly, very aware of being in her frayed, old dressing gown. She put a hand to her hair, trying to smooth it out. "No, not really. I just thought I'd get a glass of milk."

"Mind if I join you?" He asked, gingerly taking a seat at the kitchen table.

"Um…sure," She bit her lip, grabbing another glass from the shelf and filling it with milk. She set it down in front of him, sitting awkwardly down across from him.

"You really look different…in a good way, of course," He noted, taking a sip, one elbow on the table. "I'd say that New York agrees with you?"

"Oh, really?" She smiled, her face lighting up a little. "You think so?"

"I do," He nodded, setting his glass down. "Are you having fun out there?"

"I am…," She breathed, staring into his inquisitive eyes. "I think it's been really good for me."

"I'm glad," He smiled.

"You think I made the right decision?"

"Of course," He said, absent-mindedly drinking from his glass again. "Look at yourself!"

She smiled, looking down. "So…leaving tomorrow, huh?"

"Mmm hmm," He nodded wistfully. "Pity I couldn't stay longer."

"Well, you know," She looked down into the bottom of her glass, anywhere but at his eyes. "You have…commitments."

"Can I ask you something?" He asked.

"What?"

"Do you think she's doing alright?" He asked, worry in his eyes.

"Who?"

"Amy, of course," He shook his head at her with a brief smile before the worry lines set back in. "She seems a little…."

"Withdrawn?"

"Exactly," He nodded, gripping his glass. "I've never seen her look like that."

"What, in the long amount of time that you've spent in her presence?" She couldn't stop herself from uttering sarcastically. She winced at his surprised expression. "Sorry. I didn't mean that. I know what you meant though, she looks like she's been through a lot."

He simply nodded.

"Don't worry about her," April shrugged. "Amy's always been the strong one. Everyone knows it."

"Maybe we don't truly know who we are until we've been tested," He muttered, distractedly. "I hope she can take it."

April sighed, defeated. "You really care about her, don't you?"

"Does it show?" He laughed, rolling his eyes a little as he drained his glass.

………………………………………………

_**December 29**__**th**__**, 1942- Toccoa, Georgia**_

The family gathered in the front hall to say goodbye to David. Amy had her coat on by the front door, waiting to accompany him to the train station. He shook hands with Mr and Mrs White, bidding them goodbye once more. He turned to April, smiling at her. "Take care, April."

"Goodbye, David," She said quietly, taking one last look at him, a tear running down her cheek.

"Are you crying, April?" Amy asked, frowning.

"No," April said, quickly wiping away the tear. "Goodbyes are just sad, that's all." 

The couple departed, leaving April standing alone in the front hall. She walked up to her bedroom, lay down on her bed…and wept.

…………………..

David and Amy stood by the train, its departure just minutes away.

He held her in his arms as he stroked the side of her face lovingly, wiping away at her tears. She hadn't expected to cry and felt foolish for doing so, but such is life. You can't control these things.

"So where does this leave us?" She asked, biting her lip.

"I suppose it leaves us where we were before…," He shrugged sadly.

"Letters?" She supplied the word.

"If you want to write to me, that is," He teased.

"Well, you know," She joked, leaning forward and placing a painstaking kiss on his lips. "If I can find the time."

He laughed, reaching into his knapsack and producing a book. "One thing before I go. I wanted to give you this."

She took it from him, surprised to see that it was the first edition of a Hemingway. "David…."

"I got this when I was a kid," He said, wrapping his arms around her again. "…and I'd really like to know that it's in safe hands whilst I'm away."

The gesture spoke volumes. The conductor signalled that the train was about to depart so, before she lost him possibly for forever, she pulled him in for one last kiss.

…………………….

Amy made her way home, teary-eyed, and upstairs into her bedroom. She found Amy sitting in front of the bureau, fixing her hair.

Amy said on the bed, trying to cheer herself up. She signalled over to April. "Do you want to go and see that movie tonight?"

"No," April shook her head. "I'm going out with Ruthie tonight."

"Oh," Amy's face fell. "It's just I could really use some company tonight, you know, since he left and all."

"**Well I'm going out with Ruthie**," April couldn't stop herself from snapping back, her. She put a hand to her mouth, instantly regretting it.

"Oh great," Amy stood up, fists clenched and her temper flaring. "Are we back to this? Back to being at each other's throats?"

April turned on her heel, storming out of the room.

Amy stood rooted to the spot, her fists clenched. She could feel her blood boiling, all of the events of the day catching up on her and plus now April's sudden turn of behaviour. She fanned her face, trying to calm down. _Okay, calm down_, she thought to herself, breathing deeply. Relaxing the only way she knew how, she soaked in the tub for an hour. Putting on her dressing gown, she walked back into the bedroom, drying her wet hair with a towel. She sat on her bed, whistling as she looked around the room. Her eyes fell on a small book lying on top of April's dresser. Intrigued, she picked it up, running her fingers over the satin material covering it. She flipped open the front page, looking at the inscription on the inside: _So you'll always remember how it all started…. Judy x_. The infamous Judy, she thought to herself as she flipped over to the next page, realising it was a photograph album. Immediately she recognised the soldiers in the diner, smiling fondly at the memories which, for her, had been shorter-lived than for her sister. She turned to the next page, looking at a picture of David reading, totally unaware that he was being photographed. She fingered his face gently, missing him already. As she turned the pages, she looked at all of the smiling faces. She frowned as she neared the end of the album. There sure were a lot of photographs of David in this photograph album, and in many of them he was doing nothing more than reading his book. She turned to the last one, one of him and April. He simply smiled in the photograph but she saw that April's eye peered slightly to the side, looking at him, a certain smile toying about her lips. Amy put a hand to her mouth, gasping in surprise. She _knew_ that smile. Putting the photo album to one side, she covered her face with her hands, thinking. Suddenly it all made sense now. April's behaviour…. "_Jeez…."_

………………………………….

_**January 1st, 1943- Toccoa, Georgia**_

_**2 a.m.**_

"Happy New Year house!" Mrs White sang out to the front door as Mr. White fumbled with the front door key, each as tipsy on champagne as the other. The girls followed side by side behind the, the family having just returned from a New Years Eve celebration at the diner.

"Ssshhh Dear, you'll wake the neighbours!" Mr. White chastised, opening the door and ushering his family inside.

"Oh dear, am I being a little loud?" Mrs White giggled, a hand to her head. "Oh my, my head is…. I think I'd better be off to bed. Night everyone."

Kicking her shoes off and leaving them in a shambles by the front door, Mrs White staggered up the stairs. April and Amy, extremely sober, followed silently behind her to their bedroom. It had been an awkward evening. Amy had returned that morning from an impromptu visit to their grandparents' house, just in time for the evening celebration.

Inside the bedroom, both girls changed silently into their pyjamas.

"Why did you go to grandma's?" April blurted out, eager to make up for her outburst several days earlier. She finished buttoning up her pyjama top.

"I just had to get away for a few day," Amy said quietly, clearing her throat. "Think about some things."

"Everything clear now, whatever it was?" April asked, smiling amicably as she sat on the foot of her sister's bed.

Amy shrugged, leaning against the wardrobe. "I don't know yet."

"Well, what's the problem?" April asked, concerned. "Anything I can help you with?"

"Maybe…," Amy shrugged again, putting her hands on her hips. "We've always had a good instinct about each other, right?"

"Usually, I suppose," April shrugged, frowning. "Why? What do you mean?"

"I've been wondering about the way you've been acting the past few days, about what it is that's been troubling you. Then I saw that, and it all made sense to me," Amy pointed at the photo album, her voice growing a little quieter as she uttered the words. "David. You love him, don't you? Or, at least, you have feelings for him, right?"

April nearly fell off the bed in surprise at her sister's blunt question. "What?"

Amy cocked her head to one side. "You heard me, April."

April's face fell and her eyes filled with tears, her actions telling Amy everything she believed was right. All she could do was nod guiltily at her sister.

Taking a deep breath, Amy sat down a few spaces down on the bed, her hands lying awkwardly on her lap. "…for how long?"

"Since I…," April's voice caught in her throat. "…since I got to know him, I suppose."

"What?" Amy asked, her eyes wide with surprise as her head did the mental arithmetic. "So you mean…before he and I?"

April just nodded again, avoiding her sister's gaze. She couldn't bring herself to look her in the eye.

Amy sighed, her heart heavy. "April…why didn't you say anything? I mean, all of this could've been avoided…"

"You really think so?" April asked quietly. "You don't think it would've ended up like this either way? You don't think that the two of you were meant to be?"

"I don't know," Amy's shoulders drooped.

"We're in too deep now anyway, I guess," April said, forcing a small laugh as she looked at her sister, despite the fact that tears had begun to spill freely down her cheeks.

"I guess so," Amy weakly returned the smile, noticing for the first time how tortured April's face look. She put a hand to her sisters face, stroking her cheek. "This has really been eating you up, hasn't it?"

"I'm fine…," April tried to protest, but Amy knew the truth.

Both girls stared at each other for a moment, both of them crying by this.

"I don't like to see you like this, knowing that it's me who is causing you to be so.... If it makes you feel better I'll end all contact with…with _him_," Amy said, the words catching in her throat at the mere thought.

April shook her head insistently, grabbing at her sister's hands. "No, no. I don't want you to do that."

"But…," Amy protested.

"No," April insisted strongly. She wiped at her eyes, forcing a smile on her face. "Look, Amy. I want you to be happy…and he makes you happy. You make him happy too, I can tell. That's all that matters. Now this thing…these things that I'm feeling…I can control them."

"No," Amy refused. "I couldn't continue with this knowing how you feel about…I just couldn't."

"_Please_," April insisted. "Please don't put an end to it because of me. I couldn't stand being the cause of your unhappiness. I'll get over this. My Prince Charming is still out there…."

Fresh tears spilled down Amy's cheeks at these words. Although it was all so clear in her head, she nodded her head to keep the peace. "Alright."

"Okay?" April forced herself to smile, reaching forward and pulling her sister into a hug. "Good."

Amy took a deep breath, pulling back slightly from her sister and trying to lighten her mood. "Besides, you never know, I might never see him again after he's been deployed…."

Both girls frowned at the thought.

"So we're okay?" April asked tentatively.

"Of course…," Amy insisted, hugging her again. "I just want to know that you're alright…."

"I'm fine, I promise," April lied, smiling at her sister.

"I suppose that's all there is to say then," Amy said, awkwardly pretending to yawn. "Well, I suppose we should really…."

"Bed, right," April nodded, the atmosphere slightly awkward but at the same more at ease. As both girls got into their beds, April called back over. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Amy replied, reaching over and turning out the light on her bedside cabinet. She pulled the duvet around her shoulders, burying her head into the pillow as silent tears once again began to wet the fabric. She knew what she'd told April, and she could only hope that she'd bought it. It didn't matter what she'd said, what she'd told April. She loved her sister more than anything and the thought of her being unhappy at her expense made her feel positively sick. She wouldn't have her own sister feeling so unhappy, even if it meant…her stomach flipped…saying goodbye to him. Pulling the duvet tighter around her, she made her New Year's Resolution in her head that night. She vowed that she would stop all correspondence with David, that she wouldn't write to him as she'd promised she would. The thought of David and receiving his letters was one of the only things helping her get through that rigorous nurse training…but she knew that she had to forget him, for her sister. Discreetly as possible, she wept into her pillow.

April, just metres away, pulled her own duvet around her shoulders. She was surprised she'd been able to convince Amy that her feelings for David could be so fleeting. What else was she supposed to do? Amy was her sister. Resolved, she too made her New Year's Resolution in her bed that night. She vowed that she'd forget him somehow, that she'd move on…for Amy's sake. She, too, wept herself to sleep that night.

……………………………………………………


	13. Chapter 13and so they go

**That Is How Long I Have Loved You: Chapter 13**

…**..**

**Hiya! Thanks for the lovely reviews on the last chapter. Appreciated as always. By the by, I forgot to mention in the last chapter that I lied a little. I know that Easy didn't have a Christmas furlough that year…a little invention of mine, hehe. In this chapter, however, I know that they did have a furlough around end of may/june, so I simply took a stab in the dark with the actual date. Enjoy!**

…**..**

_**March 12**__**th**__**, 1943**_

_Dearest Amy,_

_It has been months now since I last had contact with you at Christmas. I can only presume that your studies keep you too occupied to put pen to paper and write to me. I hope that, in this case, my letter offers you some light relief from the daily grind of studying._

_We've reached North Carolina in our travels. Onto newer pastures and a new place of training. This place is much bigger than Toccoa, quite a few thousand acres bigger, in fact. Recreationally-speaking, we never have to leave the training camp with its movie theatres and drinking tents. It doesn't stop some of the boys from trying though, let me tell you. Recreational fun is greatly deserved though, what with training being tougher than ever. You'll be happy to know that I'm keeping up with everything, though. There's even a hospital on this base. It's a pity that you're not doing your training here, not least because there would be plenty of patients after a rambunctious Saturday night, but also because I'd get to see you everyday. _

_I didn't get to tell you about our first jump. We've done it a few times since but there is honestly nothing like that first jump. To jump from a moving plane in mid-air is to truly stare fear in the face. Truth be told though, it's pretty exciting. I don't mean to sound like a sap but I have to tell you that, when I first jumped out of that plane, the first thing that I thought of was you._

Please write, if you get the chance. 

_Yours,_

_David._

….

_**March 30**__**th**__**, 1943- Wyoming**_

One of the nurses on mail duty walked into the dormitory, her mail sack thrown over her shoulder. She made her along the beds where the nursing students were getting ready in the morning for a Saturday off of studies. The nurse walked by, screeching "_mail call!"_ as she pulled letters from the sack. She threw two letters onto Amy's bed. "Two for you, White."

Amy turned around from doing up the buttons on her blouse to look at the letters lying on her bed. Before she had the chance to pick them up, Helen, her classmate who slept in the bed next to hers, dived onto her bed, picking up her letters and looking at the postal stamps. "How come you get two letters? No fair."

"Just because you didn't get any," Amy teased gently, reaching out her hand. "Give!"

Helen looked at her pointedly as she handed the letters back over. "Oh look, another letter from the same address. Now you can throw it into that shoebox with all of the other ones from that address."

Amy winced slightly as she looked at David's name on the envelope.

Helen sensed that she'd hit a nerve with her friend and grabbed her hand, tugging at it. "Come on, let's go get some coffee."

Amy protested, shaking her head. "I was going to study some more today."

Helen grunted, still tugging her in the direction of the door. "You never stop studying. Besides, it's Saturday! You can spare at least 30 minutes for a cup of coffee."

…

The girls sat in the little café on campus, smiling at the waitress as she brought their order. Helen frowned at the dark liquid in Amy's cup. "What is that?"

"Cocoa," Amy said with a smile.

Helen laughed slightly. "Cute."

"I like cocoa," Amy protested with a laugh.

Helen bit her lip. "I'm sorry about before. I didn't mean to hit a nerve with the letter. I just happened to notice that you get letters from that same address all of the time and you just leave them unopened in that shoebox in your bedside cabinet."

"It's ok," Amy reassured her, taking a sip from her mug. "Well observed, though."

"Why thank you," Helen winked. "I have to ask though, why you don't open them anymore? You used to live for those letters. They must still mean something or you wouldn't keep them at all."

_If only you knew_, Amy thought painfully to herself.

….

_**May 30**__**th**__**, 1943- Sturgess, Kentucky**_

The depot was a hive of activity, hundreds of soldiers milling about, buzzing around the stand set up by the Red Cross to give them hot coffee and donuts on their arrival.

"This is just what I needed," Perco said, a steaming cup of hot coffee in one hand and a frosted donut in the other. "Those Red Cross girls aint half bad lookin' either."

He pointed to the girls distributing the snacks and beverages to the hungry men.

"You wish, Perco," Luz laughed. "Like you got a shot."

"Hell of a way to start a weekend furlough, huh?" Bill commented, biting into a donut. He turned on his heel, wandering over to Webster, who sat nearby on an upturned barrel, leaning over and attempting to write on a sheet of paper that he had balanced on his thigh. "Hey, Web. Hurry up and get a donut before these hungry bastards eat 'em all."

David looked up. "Huh? Oh, I'm not hungry."

"Still writing Amy?" Bill asked observantly, leaning over and staring down at the letter. He chewed thoughtfully on the donut. "Still not heard from her?"

David simply shook his head, wiping away the crumbs that fell from Bill's mouth onto his letter to Amy.

"Shoulda picked the other sister," Bill mumbled to himself, walking away.

…

_**June 1**__**st**__**, 1943- New York City**_

David climbed out of the cab, straightening the collar of his army shirt before mounting the steps into _Epoch_ magazine HQ. He instantly took in the smell of fragrant flowers and furniture polish as he made his way through the oak-lined sitting room to the receptionist's desk. He had to wait for her to finish her phone call before she looked at him, peering through her bottleneck glasses. "Can I help you?"

"I was wondering if I might speak with April White," He said, clearing his throat. "She's an intern in the photography department."

"One minute please, I'll call up and see if she's in-office today," The receptionist said, waving a hand in the direction of the seats in the waiting area. "Please take a seat in the meantime."

Tapping his fingers together gently, he took a seat on one of the plush chairs. He looked around at the mounted copies of front covers on the magazine that adorned the walls. _April_ _did well for herself_, he thought to himself. A woman suddenly walked past him, but he took no more notice than that simple fact. The woman did a double take as she walked past him, stopping to stare at him with a hand on one hip. He suddenly noticed that she was staring at him, shifting uncomfortably in his chair. She had short, cropped hair and wore a tweed waistcoat, a man's shirt and a pair of men's utility trousers, secured to her thin frame with a leather belt. _Odd, _he thought to himself.

She cleared her throat, walking a little closer to him. "I'm sorry to be blunt, but have we met?"

"I don't believe so, Ma'am," He said, thinking that he'd _definitely_ have remembered her if they'd met before.

"Yet I know you somehow….," She insisted, tucking some hair behind one ear.

"Maybe I just have one of those faces," He said, shrugging his shoulders and smiling politely.

"No I definitely know you…," She said, racking her brains. It suddenly came to her. "…David something, right?"

"David Webster," He nodded, arching a brow at her. "How did you know that?"

"My intern April White's photographs from _small town_, Georgia," She said tapping a finger triumphantly off of her lips.

"You're April's boss?" He asked, surprised, his eyes lighting up.

"I am, yes," She nodded. "You're here to see her, are you?"

He nodded. "Do you know where I might be able to find her?"

"She's doing a photo shoot for one of our features in Central Park today," Judy explained. "If you hurry you might still be able to catch her."

"Thank you, Ma'am," He said, involuntarily shaking her hand. "Pleasure to meet you."

"David Webster," Judy said to herself as she watched him rush from the building. "Well I'll be damned…."

…..

April lined up her shot as she photographed a man holding an iguana against the leafy backdrop of Central Park. Others queued up to the side, waiting for their turn to be photographed. "Okay, thank you, Sir. Next!"

As the next in line, a woman holding a large spider in a glass container stood in front of the flower bush to be photographed, April felt a hand tap her on the shoulder. She spun round, her eyes widening in surprise as she saw David standing in front of her in army dress, beaming at her. She almost knocked her camera off of the stand in surprise. She couldn't quite find the words, but managed somehow. "David!"

"Hello there, Stranger," He said, welcoming her warmly with a squeeze of the shoulders.

Without thinking, she threw her arms around him in a hug, squeezing at him and taking in his scent. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm home in town for a furlough, so I thought I'd come say hello," He explained.

"_Ahem_," The woman with the spider cleared her throat loudly.

"Oh," April spun round, holding her hands up to everyone waiting to be photographed. "Take five, everyone!"

Amidst some groans, they all sloped off to get themselves a snack, leaving April and David standing alone.

He motioned to the people walking away with odd creatures and animals. "What are you doing here?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "It's a feature for the magazine. I think they're calling it _Miraculous Pets and their Owners_."

David raised an eyebrow, a smile playing about his lips.

"I know, I know," She rolled her eyes. "Gotta start somewhere though, right?"

He laughed. "It's good to see you again."

"You too," She said, fiddling with the camera, trying to ignore the thumping of her heart.

"What are you doing tonight?" He asked. "Do you want to meet for dinner or something later?"

"Do I…," Her eyes lit up. "Oh no, sorry I can't. I'm meeting a few friends for drinks tonight."

"Oh, no problem," He nodded, shrugging his shoulders.

"But you could always join us," She offered, nodding enthusiastically.

"I wouldn't be intruding?"

"Of course you wouldn't," She reassured him.

"Sounds good," He smiled. "When and where?"

…

April anxiously took a gulp of her Gin Fizz, her eyes darting around the room, growing wide every time a new person entered the smoky, underground bar. A big band was in fully swing up on the stage, surrounded by enthusiastic dancing couples. Janice, her rambunctious roommate (whose acquaintance we made in chapter ten) looked at her dryly. "Jeez, your eyes are spinnin' like a slot machine. Slow yourself down with the Gin Fizz. They don't pay us enough at Echo to be buying fresh drinks all night."

"I know, I know," April rolled her eyes, setting the glass back down on the paper coaster lying on the table. "I'm just parched."

"But then," Janice continued, twirling a strand of her long hair around her index finger. "Maybe your sweetheart can buy us a couple rounds of drinks."

The other two girls sitting with them at the table, a pair of secretaries who lived down the corridor from them in their apartment block, sniggered slightly.

"I don't think they pay him _that_ well in the army," April sighed, shaking her head at Janice. "…and I've told you a million times. He's not _my_ sweetheart…he's my sister's."

"You wish he was yours, though," Janice said knowingly, sipping through the straw of her own cocktail.

"Tell the whole table, why don't ya," April said, narrowing her eyes slightly before her gaze inevitably dragged itself back over to the door.

"She already told us," One of the girls piped up, digging Janice jokingly in the ribs.

"It figures," April shook her head again. She took her compact out of her purse, checking that her lipstick and her chignon were still firmly in place. She tugged at the hem of her pink, silk, beaded dress. "I look stupid in this dress. I should've worn the other one."

"Stop tugging at it, will ya?" Janice scolded, softly smacking her hand away from the hemline. "You look beautiful and I should know seeing as I picked the damn dress. You're just not used to wearing women's clothing anymore, that's your problem."

"You do wear a lot of ill-fitting trousers…," the other girl at the table remarked, biting her lip.

"Ill-fitting…they're not ill-…," April began to defend herself, but stopped. Her eyes widened as she made out the frame of David entering the small bar amidst the hazy cigarette smoke. He was dressed in his smart, Army uniform. "Damn, he's here."

Janice craned her neck to see, pointing very obviously in his direction. "Who? That one?"

"Yes, that one…and thanks for making that so damn obvious," April drew her a look, tugging once more at her dress. "Okay, I'm going to go say hi."

"He's a handsome one. Make sure you bring him over to say hello…and maybe buy us a drink," Janice winked at her, grabbing an arm as she stood up. "Wait…mascara clump. There we go, all fixed."

"Thanks," April flashed her a smile, gently rising to her feet and crossing the bar, weaving in and out of the dancing couples until she reached him. He was scanning the crowd for her, not realising that she was standing right in front of him. She gently touched his shoulder. "David."

He looked at her, smiling. "Oh, hi! I didn't see you there. Wow, look at you."

"Good or bad?" She asked, licking her lips.

"Good, of course," He said, giving her arm an affectionate squeeze. He motioned round. "So these are the clubs you like, huh? I hope you don't expect me to get up there and dance later."

She laughed, leaning back on her heels slightly. "No, of course not. I'm not much of a dancer either, if I'm honest, but my friends over there like it so we come here a lot."

She pointed over to the girls at the table, Janice waving like a maniac. David waved politely back at them. He looked back at her. "Can I get you a drink?"

"Sure," She smiled. "I'll take a Gin Fizz."

"Stopped drinking the hard stuff, huh?" He joked, pointing to a table behind her. "Why don't you take a seat and I'll bring them over."

Nodding, in a daze at the sheer thought of sitting at a table for two with him in New York City. As she sat down in the chair, she watched him leaning his forearms gently on the wooden counter of the bar as he spoke to the bartender. Whilst, for her, he embodied masculine perfection and still had that uncanny ability to make her stomach do indoor gymnastics, she couldn't help but curse him. No matter how much determination she tried to muster to forget him every time he absented himself from her life, each reappearance that he made tore down any progress that she'd managed to make and turned her once more into that dumb, lovesick puppy from Georgia. At the same time, however, she looked at him pensively, her brow furrowed. Why was he here? Why wasn't he spending a furlough in Wyoming with Amy? Indeed, the girls had left on speaking terms and letters had been exchanged, but never straying onto the topic of David. It had become a taboo subject.

"What's that look on your face?" He asked curiously as he returned, setting down her Gin Fizz in front of her and clasping a beer in his own hand. He took a seat opposite her.

"Oh," she snapped back to reality. "Just lost in the music, that's all." 

"So," He said, putting his beer down on the table. "What's new with you?"

"Oh," She said, playing with the handle on her glass. "Well, the internship is going really well."

"What kind of things have you been doing?"

"Well at first I was just running around doing jobs for Judy, developing photographs and such. Then, she let me come on photo shoots with her and now, finally, she's letting me go out and do shoots all by myself. Not any of the big features, of course, but still…."

"Like _Miraculous Pets and their Owners?"_ He teased gently, his lips creasing into a little smile.

She rolled her eyes, laughing. "Exactly like that."

"What about you?" She asked, turning the table onto him. "What have you been doing since Christmas, or are you not allowed to talk about it?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "We've been on the move quite a bit. Training has been getting more intensive."

"I can see that," She raised an eyebrow as she motioned to his somewhat musclier physique. _Perhaps a little too flirtacious_, she thought to herself as she diverted her gaze to the side.

"Well, we've been practicing our jumps as well," He continued. "Done a couple by now."

"Wow," She breathed. "Jumping from a plane down to the ground…. What's that like?"

"Terrifying…," He laughed. "…but pretty damn exciting."

"I can imagine," She said, her eyes full of intrigue. "It must be so peaceful in many ways."

"Peaceful?" He echoed. "Sure it is…here. I'm not so sure about when we do it over there."

"Of course," She blushed slightly, scolding herself mentally for such a stupid comment.

"Lot of men in uniform here…," He commented politely, looking around him.

April began to realise how anxious he looked, one leg jiggling as it stuck out from under the table. She pursed her lips, taking in his mannerisms. "David…"

"Mmm hmm?" He asked, turning back round to look at her.

"Why are you here?" She asked. "_Really_? You look a little…jumpy."

He let out a little laugh, leaning his elbows on the table. "Hard to hide, huh?"

"A little," She nodded, pressing further. "What is it?"

"I'm probably just being stupid…," He said, waving a hand dismissively. "…but I haven't heard a peep from Amy since Christmas. No letters, nothing. I've sent her at least a dozen, myself, but no reply to a single one."

"Oh," She said, her mind instantly spinning. She shook her head. "I haven't heard much from her myself, only a few letters."

"A few letters more than I've gotten," He remarked with a short sigh. "Has she changed her address or something?"

April shook her head again. "Not that I know of."

He sighed, defeatedly. "Then I don't understand. I thought she was maybe just busy, but clearly she's had time to write you."

April just shrugged, her head begging her not to get involved in the personal affairs of Amy and David.

"Oh well," He leaned back in his chair, his shoulders slagging slightly. "I suppose that's as big a hint as I needed. At least she didn't send me a _Dear John_, right."

April just sipped her drink.

"I don't suppose you could ask her in a letter?" He asked tentatively, adding a charming smile. "If only for my peace of mind, you understand."

Her eyes widened slightly and she was quick to protest, shaking her head. "Oh, David, I really don't think I should get involved…."

"_Please_," He asked, his eyes looking imploringly into hers. "April, I'm going out of my mind here."

It was true. She'd never seen the usually collected, suave David so erratic before. She sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. "Fine. I will."

Relief spread over his face. "Thank you."

"Well now," Janice's voice came into focus as she neared the table, standing next to the two of them as she ever-so-subtly waved an empty glass in one hand. "This must be David…."

April looked up at her friend, who had impeccable timing, _clearly_. "David, this is Janice."

"Nice to meet you," He smiled politely, shaking her hand lightly as she thrust it at him.

"Likewise," Janice flashed him a smile, pulling up a chair and sitting with them. She put a hand to her throat, rasping a little.

"Are you alright?" He asked, frowning at her.

"I'm just so…," She patted her throat again before looking at him suggestively. "…parched."

"Oh," He said, standing up on cue. "Let me get you a drink."

"Oh," She put a hand to her chest charmingly and flashing April a little, victorious smile. "Would you? Only if it's not too much trouble."

"Course not," He waved a dismissive hand. "Whaddya want?"

"Whiskey Sour, please," She winked at him, waiting until he'd made his way up to the before turning to April with a smile. "Sorry to interrupt, but I finished my drink about ten minutes ago."

April just smiled, shaking her head at her before groaning and putting her head in her hands.

"Awww," Janice leaned forward, tucking one of her strand's of hair behind her ear. "You poor love-struck little thing."

"He came to talk about my sister," April explained, watching him as he spoke once more to the bartender. "Apparently she's ignoring him."

"What? How could ignore _that_?" Janice asked, biting her lip appreciatively as she watched David. "If your sister doesn't want him…I'll have him!"

"You'll have to join the back of the line," April rolled her eyes.

….

_**July 13**__**th**__**, 1943**_

_David,_

_It has been over a month and I've still had no reply from Amy. My parents assure me that she is in full health and still in Wyoming. I'm sorry I can't bring you happier news._

_Yours,  
April._

…

_**August 12**__**th**__**, 1943**_

_April,_

_Thanks for the news, even if it wasn't good news. _

_I'm writing this to you on a train bound for New York. Our next port of call before we finally ship out. There's talk of passes into the city, so if I can I'll come by and see you._

_David._

…_.._

_**August 30**__**th**__** 1943, New York City**_

Those passes had never transpired and, instead, the Regiment had been led in a series of drills as plans were prepared for their transportation overseas. David never got to pay her a visit. April had waited on edge for the day that he might show up. He never came. However, against her better judgement, she'd gotten her hopes up about seeing him again. Judy recognised this as the reason for her intern's sudden mood dip. So, using some of the Judy Orr ingenuity, she'd given April a new project. The features department were doing a feature about the girls giving their time to the Red Cross since the war had begun. The same girls who, in New York City, had been handing out snacks to the soldiers as they went onto the boats for transportation to England. They needed some photographs of the girls in action and, Judy thought, who better than her budding intern. Who knows, maybe she'd get to see that man she loved so much one last time. April was no fool, and knew exactly why Judy had assigned her this project. She was glad of it. Thus, it was with anticipation that she made her way to the docks that day, using her Epoch pass to get entry inside.

She hadn't been quite prepared, however, for what awaited her. There had to have been _thousands_ of men being crammed into that boat. Needle in a haystack. Still, she sighed, if she was meant to see him, she was meant to see him. She stood by the tables set up by the Red Cross stand, taking photos as she was supposed to but still finding the time to scan every face that passed her by. She didn't realise that, as she snapped away, she was blocking the way for several troops who were trying to reach the table to get a last-minute bit of a sugar and a last smile from a pretty, American girl before boarding that ship to whatever lay ahead.

"'Scuse me, Lady," A voice said gruffly behind her, accidentally knocking into her back.

She whipped her head round to see who'd bumped into her. It was a familiar face, in fact. "Bill? Bill Guarnere?"

Bill, eyes wide in surprise, took the cigarette from his lips and threw it away. "Well I'll be damned. Look who it is! Hey, hey George, look who we got here."

"Son of a…," George said, hot on Bill's heels and battling with the weight of luggage. "Of all the harbours in all the world…."

"Look at you both," April said fondly. "I can't believe I managed to see you before you left."

"What're the chances, huh?" Bill asked, scratching his head. "What are you doing here."

She held up her camera. "Photographs for a piece on these Red Cross girls."

Behind them some considerable grunting began to take place as now all three of them caused a barrage in the flow of soldiers moving up the queue. Cries of "move it!" began to sound out. As the soldiers began to push their way past, April found herself shoved in passing again, this time sending her forward. The hand of a dark-haired, trooper stretched out to right her on her feet again. She looked up into the face of someone she didn't recognise. Handsome, though. He gently manoeuvred her out of the immediate flow of soldiers and to the side. "I think you'll be a little safer over here, ma'am."

"Thank you," She said, noticing his hand still on her shoulder from when he'd caught her. She smiled, looking down at his hand.

He noticed what she was looking at, withdrawing it. "Sorry, little lingering there. Afraid you might fall again."

"I think I'm fine, now," She said, smiling at him again. "What was I thinking, standing in the way of hungry soldiers and donuts."

"A real lesson learned here, I think," He laughed. He turned back round to face Bill and George. "Better get moving, boys."

"Yes, Lieutenant," They nodded politely.

The _Lieutenant_ turned back to her, nodding politely. "Take care of yourself."

She smiled, waving as he walked away. "Thank you."

Realising that she had a time constraint, she jumped back over to Bill, grabbing his arm to pull him back as he started to walk away. "Bill. Has _he_ boarded yet?"

"Web?" Bill asked.

She nodded.

"No," He shook his head, motioning to the moving line. "He's still on down the line."

"Okay, thanks," She smiled, patting his shoulder. "You take care of yourself over there."

"Will do," He nodded. "Give my regards to Ruthie next time you see her."

With that he was gone, and April found herself scanning the crowd haplessly again for David.

David did a double take when he saw her. For a moment, he thought that it was Amy standing in front of him. When the girl smiled at him though, he knew that it was April. It may not have been Amy, but he was happy to see April nonetheless, and threw his arms around her as he approached. "This is a surprise!"

"I'm working," She smiled, holding up her camera to show him.

"Mmm hmm," He teased. "Like you didn't set this up on purpose."

She just smiled, taking in his facial features. She looked at him with concern. "So, are you nervous about going?"

He shrugged. "Right now I'm just worried about how they're gonna fit all of us into _that_ boat."

She laughed.

"I don't suppose you've seen or heard from…?" He asked, his eyes full of hope.

She just shook her head, biting her lip apologetically.

"Oh well," he said, shrugging and trying to pretend that his stomach hadn't just flopped to the floor. "Wasn't meant to be, I guess."

April couldn't stand to see him look so sad, not when he was just about to go to war. She grabbed his hand and looked at him imploringly. "She _does_ love you David. I don't know why she isn't writing back to you but the last time that I saw her, I've never been more sure that she loves you."

David smiled to keep her happy. She thought that she was giving him some hope but, really, he was at the point where he'd given up all hope. "Maybe she does."

Someone behind called for David to keep up with the flow of the troops, so he pulled his satchel tighter around his shoulders, preparing to rejoin the line. She couldn't believe that he was going. She reached forward, pulling him into a tight hug.

"You're squeezing me _really_ tightly," He said through raspy breaths.

"Sorry," She released him, waving her hands a little manically. "Just a little swept up in the emotion of it all."

"You're not going to cry this time, are you?" He teased.

"I'll try and keep on top of my emotions," She said, but could feel a tear already filling around one eyelid. A nearby girl from the Red Cross reached out and handed her a tissue, which she took and dabbed at one eye. "Thanks."

He reached out and squeezed her shoulder. "Take care of yourself and, you know, write to me sometimes if you get a chance. Tell me entertaining stories to keep me going out there."

"Will do," She said, wiping at her eyes again as he started backing away into the line. "Take care of yourself, and make sure you come home."

"Aye, aye," He saluted her, pointing to her as a reminder. "Remember, you're doing the photographs for my articles one day."

With that, he was gone. His face blended amongst the crowd of other faces making their way up the gangplank.

….

_**31**__**st**__** August, 1943**_

_Dearest Amy,_

_I'm writing to you aboard the ship that's carrying me into this war. What I wouldn't have given to see your beautiful face one last time. I've seen April, though, so I know that you are alive and well. That is, in itself, a comfort to me. Why you ceased all contact with me, however, remains a mystery. I suppose that sometimes you just have to accept these things. It is with this in mind that I've decided not to bother you anymore. I'll finally give you the peace that you so desire. Please know, however, that you touched and awakened me more than anyone ever has. I truly didn't know that they made girls like you until you came crashing into my life. It is for this reason that I will always be grateful to you, and it is for this reason that I will always love you. It is also for this reason that I can't be bitter. I'm reminded of the words of Tennyson: it is better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all. _

_All my love,_

_David. _

…


	14. Chapter 14What am I getting myself into?

**That Is How Long I Have Loved You**: **Chapter 14**

…**.**

**Hi! I have to start with an apology as this chapter features only the sisters and is slightly filler (but contains vital information). Really I just wanted to the chance to use this great little book I found in my uni library. It's a copy of the manual that American servicemen were given on their way into Britain. A "How To" Guide to Britain, really. Fascinating reading, especially to me, as a Brit myself. All italic text in that section are direct quotes from the book.**

**Anyway, my next chapter is going to be full of Webster! Thank you for all of the lovely reviews. Every review I get for this story really means a lot to me : ). **

…

_**November 12**__**th**__**, 1943- Wyoming**_

So the months came and went. Summer gave way to Fall and Fall slowly faded into Winter. With the change of the seasons came Amy's "passing out" Ceremony at the University, her emergence as a cadet into a fully-fledged nurse. The whole family made their way to Wyoming from Toccoa, and April even found the time to board a train from New York City to see her sister's big day. After the ceremony, during which their mother had cried, the family dined out together. April couldn't stay longer, however, having to get a bus straight back to the train station. She had to be back at work as soon as possible. Keen to spend some time alone with her sister, Amy took the opportunity to walk her to the bus stop.

"So do you know where you're shipping out to?" April asked, looking up into the clear night sky as they walked. "Or are you not allowed to say?"

Amy shrugged. "Still a mystery. I suppose we'll be placed in the US for a while before being shipped out anywhere."

"Well you make sure you take care of yourself, wherever you end up," April smiled, stamping her feet against the cold as they approached the bus stop. She blew hands in her fist to heat them up.

"And you take care in the City," Amy said, laughing slightly. "Look at us, would ya? To think we could be in our second year at Sarah Lawrence by now."

"Mmm hmmm," April nodded, adding with a laugh. "I hear Roseanna Caine goes there."

"Does she really?" Amy asked, intrigued. She bit her lip. "Still think we did the right thing?"

"I sure hope so," April nodded, laughing. "Cos it's sure as hell too late to go back on anything now."

Amy opened her mouth to respond, but was silenced by the noise of April's bus revving up and pulling to a stop.

Gathering her bag over her shoulder, April turned one last time to her sister, blurting out. "I've seen him, you know."

"Who?" Amy asked, playing dumb.

"You _know_ who," April cocked her head.

"Oh, right," Amy's heart race. "How is he?"

"Shipping out, last I saw, but healthy at least," April explained, planting a kiss on her sister's cheek. She put a foot on the bus, looking back. "He misses you…but then, so do I…. See you at Christmas?"

"I might be working," Amy frowned apologetically.

"Then _maybe_ I'll see you at Christmas," April smile, boarding the bus.

…

_**January 12**__**th**__**, 1944- New York City**_

April poured filter coffee into a mug, having just returned from her morning bagel run for Judy. Gripping the mug in one hand and Judy's bag of bagels in the other, she made her way towards Judy's office, frowning as she saw the "do not disturb" sign on the door and the blinds of the glass panels slanted down, blocking vision inside. She narrowed her eyes, trying to see through the tiny slats of the blinds. She could faintly see two men, one in a suit and the other in an army uniform. She turned to Judy's secretary, who reclined back in her chair, filing her nails.

"Who's in with Judy?" She asked, inquisitively.

The secretary barely looked up from her nails, clicking her tongue. "In an interview."

"An interview with who?"

The secretary's eyes lit up as she put her nail file away. She loved having the upper hand. "It's top secret."

"I'm Judy's intern," April reminded her, raising her eyebrows slightly.

The secretary shrugged. "Top secret is top secret. I can't tell you, I'm afraid."

April noticed her looking longingly at the brown paper bag in her hand. She beamed, holding out the bag. "Will a bagel make you tell me?"

The secretary made a _pfffft_ noise, shaking her head dismissively. A moment later she bit her lip, her eyes full of longing. "Do you have cream cheese?"

"Mmmm hmmm," April nodded, wigging her eyebrows seductively. The secretary reached out for the bag but April yanked it back. "Uh uh! Information first!"

"She's in with some men from the War Department," The secretary said, accompanied by a deep sigh and outstretched hands. "Now gimme!"

_The War Department_, April thought to herself, intrigued. 

….

About an hour later April was on tenterhooks, sitting behind her desk and boring her eyes into the door of the office, which remained firmly shut. As she began tapping a pencil distractingly against the wooden frame of her desk, the door suddenly burst open. The two men, straight-laced and official, made their way out of the door, closely followed by Judy. April couldn't help but watch, hawk-eyed.

"We trust we'll be hearing from you soon, Ms Orr?" The man in the regular suit said, holding out a hand to her in what was a somewhat unusual gesture.

"You will," Judy shook both of their hands firmly, before folding her arms across her chest. "I'll need to put my affairs in order before putting pen to paper, of course."

"Naturally," The suited man nodded. "That's as to be expected. See to your business, Ms Orr, and then be in touch. You have our contact details."

With those passing words, the men left. Judy shifted her eyes to the side, noticing April sitting, her eyes and mouth agog as she watched. She raised her eyes, amused.

April realised she'd been spotted, quickly shifting in her hair and smiling sweetly at her boss. "Errr…can I get you anything?"

Judy smiled at her inquisitive intern. "No thank you. I'll be in my office."

….

_**January 21**__**st**__**, 1944- Boat en route to England**_

Their orders had reached them just ten days earlier. Amy and her fellow nurses were being shipped off to England as a base before being shipped out further afield. Whilst the news that they were finally getting somewhere had been welcome amongst most of the girls, Amy included, the harsh realities of the transit boat were far less pleasant. Whilst the attention from the amorous soldiers also in transit was welcome attention for some and an annoyance for other, it was on that fated journey that several girls, novices to boating, discovered that they were seasick. Whilst those girls collected below deck, nursing their tummies as they lay on their hammock beds, the other stayed above deck, breathing in the fresh sea air as they chatted animatedly about what awaited them. On that particular cold and breezy day, Amy sat on deck with some of the other girls, wrapped up in their winter cloaks. She had on her lap a manual which they had been given upon boarding the boat. A guide to life in Britain. Amy read it with intrigue.

"_You are going to Great Britain as part of an Allied offensive- to meet Hitler and beat him on his own ground. For the time being you will be Britain's guest…,"_ She read aloud.

"What is this thing anyway?" One of the other girls asked with a frown, thumbing through the papers.

"A guide to Britain, apparently."

"_You will be welcome in British pubs as long as you remember one thing. The pub is the "poor man's club", the neighbourhood or village gathering place, where the men have come to see their friends, not strangers."_ Helen read aloud., clucking her time suggestively as she giggled. "I'm sure the "_poor man_" wont mind some female-shaped strangers….nor would I mind him."

"So long as the _poor man_ is a handsome man," Another girl piped up, causing fits of giggles from the others.

"_The British will welcome you as friend and allies. But remember that crossing the ocean doesn't automatically make you a hero. There are housewives in aprons and youngsters in knee pants in Britain that have lived through more high explosives in air raids than many soldiers saw in first class barrages in the last war_," Amy read, biting her lip.

"Listen to this one…_You are higher paid than the British "Tommy". Don't rub it in. Play fair with him,"_ Another girl laughed, rolling her eyes. "Clearly this pamphlet wasn't mean for us…the pittance we earn."

"But our job is _spiritually_ rewarding," Another joked, making hand gestures as she spoke.

"Please, _spiritually rewarding_ won't buy me dresses in the London boutiques," Helen sighed wistfully.

"You'll be lucky if you get the time to visit the London boutiques," Amy shrugged her shoulder sympathetically. She turned her attention back to the papers in her lap. "_The British don't know how to make a good cup of coffee…"_

"Oh no," Helen stamped a foot against the floor. "I don't operate in the morning with a cup of Joe."

"Joe who?" Another girl joked playfully.

"…_Americans can't make a good cup of tea. It's an even swap," _Amy read, laughing. "I resent that. I make a good cup of tea, if I do say so myself."

Helen opened her mouth to speak, but a gust of wind blew her cap off of her head before she could do so. She raced to the railings, watching in dismay as the hat landed on the water down below. She turned back to the girls. "Do you think they'll give me another one of those when we get to England?"

"You shoulda clipped it to your hair like everyone else," one of the girls held up her hands dismissively.

With a groan, Helen turned back out towards sea, leaning on the railings as she watched her hat fade away into the distance. "So long America…and so long my hat."

…

_**January 21**__**st**__**, 1944- New York City**_

Whilst unbeknownst to her the her sister was currently sailing the high seas, April was stuck archiving old photographs in Judy's filing cabinets.

Judy stuck her head out of her office door. "April, a word?"

April winced slightly as she clamoured to her feet to follow Judy into her office. Usually when Judy asked for "a word" it meant that she'd done something wrong. As April took a seat, Judy shut the door with a click before making her way to her plush leather desk chair. She was about to ask something of April that she couldn't predict a response to. Still, she wasn't one to pussyfoot around the issue, and so placed her hands square on her desk. "So…enjoying the internship?"

April nodded. "Of course?"

"Getting boring?" Judy asked, arching a brow. "Tell me honestly."

"Boring?" April shrugged. "It's never boring being a photographer, but the City is a little more deserted than it was in the summer, naturally."

"Right, well…," Judy got straight down to business. "I'm going to let you in on a little top secret information, since I trust you. Mark my words though, April, this has to stay within these walls. No one finds out about this, understand?"

April shifted in her chair excitedly. "Of course."

"The men that I had a meeting with the other week were from the War Department," Judy explained.

"Oh, I didn't know _that_," April lied. "What did they want?"

"Well, as America advances into this war, we need evidence that it's going well to show everyone at home that our boys are doing well and to keep morale up…that's how they flowered it up, anyway,"

"Right…," April said, trying to keep up.

"…and photographs are the way to do that," Judy filled in the blanks. She leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs and looking pointedly at April. "Anyway, they want me to go abroad to take said photographs."

April's eyes widened, her face crestfallen. At the same time however, she felt almost jealous. "What? You're leaving?"

"Fraid so," Judy nodded. "Couple of weeks time."

"So you're working for Epoch or for the War Department?"

"Not Epoch. The photos will end up in majority of the papers, I'm sure,"

"Wow," April breathed. "Good exposure. Sounds like a real adventure."

"That's what I'm hoping," Judy said with a sigh. "This city is becoming old to me. I need something new, something more challenging. I hope you understand."

"Understand?" April's eyes widened suddenly. "Does this mean I'm fired?"

Judy shrugged, her eyes twinkling slightly. "Perhaps…although, not if you'd like to come with me, of course."

"Come again?" April blinked.

"You heard,"

"Go with you?" April repeated, feeling as though all of the breath had left her lungs momentarily. "To war?"

"I'm not asking you to fight," Judy said, joking coolly. "Taking photographs. You'll be safe."

April looked at her doubtfully.

"Well," Judy shrugged. "As safe as the US Army can keep you, anyway."

"I don't know what to say…," April shrugged.

"Of course you don't," Judy laughed, standing up and turning her back on her intern, looking out of the window into the city. She glanced down at her watch briefly. "That's 4p.m. Why don't you go now. Take the weekend to think and let me know on Monday."

"O-okay," April found her way to her feet. She shook her head, her head trying desperately to convince her that this was a stupid idea. "My parents wouldn't like the idea…."

"Isn't your sister an Army Nurse?" Judy reminded her. She turned back to face April. "We all have to leave the nest sometime, April. Your sister clearly knows that. Don't you want to do something in this war? To play a part at least? If anything else, it'll do wonders for your career."

April opened her mouth to reply but Judy simply held up a hand to silence her, repeating. "Take the weekend, April. Let me know on Monday."

Nodding obediently, April turned on her heel and left the office. Judy watched her go with a smile. She was an influential woman, and she wanted April to go with her when she left. Why? Because she was a damn good intern and photographer. More importantly, in the year that she'd been working under her, April had proved herself to be more than just an employee…but a trusted friend. Judy knew she was embarking on a dangerous venture, and as such she wanted someone in whom she could trust and rely on.

….

_**January 24**__**th**__**, 1943- New York City**_

Judy's words had reverberated in her head the entire weekend and, by the time that Monday morning had came and she made her way into the photography department of _Epoch_ with a bag of bagels under one arm, April was almost positive that she was going to be making the right decision when she accepted the offer. _Still_, she couldn't help thinking to herself that she was being stupid and would be better suited to stay on home territory. She wasn't even sure that it was even the thought of the project that made her want to go but, rather, the thought of losing Judy as a mentor. The moment that she'd met the crop-haired, leggy woman, she knew that there was so much she could learn from her. Setting her bag down on her desk, April looked at the memo Judy had placed on her desk of her tasks for the day:

_Finish archiving December's photographs_

_Brooklyn Bridge 1 p.m…photographs for feature on the man with the largest badge collection in New York_

_Develop said photographs_

Scratch that. Perhaps it was the idea of the project too that excited her. As she spread cream cheese onto some halved bagels on a plate, she knew for sure that she had made her mind up. Picking up the plate, she marched to Judy's office, not even knocking but simply walking in.

Judy looked up from her notepad. "Morning."

"Alright," April put the plate of bagels down and flopped in a chair in front of the desk. "I'll do it."

"Sure?"

"Yes," April nodded resolutely.

"Excellent," Judy leaned triumphantly back in her chair.

"But first…," April held up a hand. "You mentioned on Friday that this little venture would help my career. I want to know exactly how? I need to know that I'm putting my neck on the line for something worthwhile."

"As if I need to spell it out for you?" Judy asked with a laugh, but stopped when she realised from April's expression that she actually _would_ have to spell it out. She sighed. "Come on, April. Once this war is over and all those soldiers come home, it's going to be harder than ever for you to survive in the Photography business."

"You seemed to do fine without it," April noted.

"I've worked _damn_ hard for it, and I've made a lot of enemies on the way," Judy admitted rawly. "…and it's still not that easy for me. Everyday I'm put down by my male peers who don't think I should be sitting in this chair. I'm not going to lie to you April, this'll do my career wonders just as much as it will yours. Experience of this kind will really make you stand out to employers."

April forced a smile, as she jokingly put a hand on her chest. "What? You mean I'm not getting a job here after this is all over?"

"Not if you don't come with me," Judy joked.

"Well, I'm coming," April said with a smile, reaching forward and picking up a cream-cheese covered bagel.

"Uh-uh," Judy shook her head, reaching out and taking the bagel.

"Why did you do that?" April asked, frowning.

"One little drawback of this entire thing is that we'll have to be fit…and that means passing an Army fitness test…which means saying goodbye to the snacks. Don't think I haven't noticed that since that _David_ left that you've been suppressing your feelings with food."

…..

_**February 1**__**st**__**, England**_

Amy couldn't disguise her mix of nervousness and excitement as she lined up with her fellows nurses for inspection on their first day of duty in England. They'd be stationed here for a while before moving on. All of the girls had taken real care in their appearance that day to pass their first inspection, neatly pinning their hair and applying a thin layer of red lipstick to their lips.

Their excited chatter stopped as soon as the footsteps of the Matron click-clacked into the room. She was hard-face, large woman who looked like she would be no pushover. She wore a pair of wiry spectacles over her stern face.

She looked at her clipboard as she looked at the girls. She stopped at Helen, the first girl in the line. "Is that lipstick, Nurse?"

Helen gulped at the tone. "Y-yes, ma'am."

"Well you can start by taking lipstick off of your face. All of you can start by doing that, I see. Rule number one on my ward: if you've got time in the morning to put lipstick on your face then that means you're not focussed on the job. On my ward, the job is the main focus. Memorise that rule, ladies."

Amy gulped from further down the line of girls. What had she let herself in for?

…


	15. Chapter 15 The Ballad of Amy and David

**That Is How Long I Have Loved You: Chapter 15**

…**.**

**Hi guy! Okay so this chapter is a little fluffy and cheesy, but I hope you enjoy it all the same. Thanks again for the lovely reviews on the last chapter. Much appreciated as always! Please let me know what you think of the story. **

_**Vonrose**_**- I tried to private message you earlier but it wouldn't let me. The name of the book is "Instruction For American Servicemen In Britain 1942" and was published by the Bodleian Library. You can find it on Amazon. There are lots of other, similar manuals available, which I haven't read yet but am quite interested in reading too, such as guides for American servicemen stationed in France and Australia. There are even the guides the British were given about France and Germany. I'm sure that they make for equally as fascinating reading. I hope that this helped for the story that you're working on : )**

…**..**

_**October 6**__**th**__**, 1944- Holland**_

David winced, emitting a low grunt, as Sisk roughly tied a bandage around his freshly-shot leg. He shook his head, sighing. "They got me. Can you believe that? Can you believe I said that?"

"Can you make it back to CP?" Sisk asked, hoisting him roughly to his feet.

David nodded, thrusting his helmet onto his head. "I will see you someplace else."

As he walked back towards CP, he felt sure in what he'd just said to Sisk. He _knew_ that he'd be back with Unit again at some point. At the same time however, his weary bones made him feel almost glad to be getting a short spell away from the line.

…..

_**October 11**__**th**__**, 1944- England**_

"Nurse, Nurse can you help me?" A voice croaked out, accompanied by an outstretched hand which tugged weakly at the hem of Amy's dress as she ambled her way through the latest convoy of wounded arrivals (a convoy which arrived almost daily by that point). "My arm, it hurts."

Amy looked down at the soldier tugging on her dress, gently prising his fingers away. "Someone will see to you in a moment, Soldier."

Amidst the furore of hospital beds, doctors, nurses and orderlies all in speedy motion around her, Amy quickly ducked into the nearby supply room, where she poured herself a glass of water to soothe her parched throat. She rubbed at her forehead, fatigue coursing through every inch of her body. Truth was, she _wanted_ to help that patient, and she would momentarily, but at that moment she was just too damn tired and thirsty. She knew well of the fatigue that came along with her job and she'd grown used to it for the most part but, every now and then, some days were still harder than others. Some days she still had to duck out of sight for a few minutes to collect her thoughts. As she pressed the cup to her lips, the presence of another nurse reaching for the water jug highlighted that she wasn't the only one. It was one of her dorm mates. Usually chatty, both nurses simply exchanged a polite, understanding glance. Often silence was better in these moments. The door opened again and Matron (Chief Nurse) swung her head around the door. Amy quickly pretended to be reaching for some bandages.

"Oh there you are, White," Matron said in her usual brash tone.

"Yes?" Amy asked, forcing a smile on her face as she turned to face her superior.

"It's utter chaos in here today. I need to keep an eye on the younger nurses, to make sure that they don't lose their heads in all of this drama," Matron said firmly, pointing a stern hand. "So I need you to stay by the entrance and sort out the incoming patients. Keep supplies steady and make sure all minor injuries are taken to ward 3 and all critical injuries to…."

"Ward 5," Amy finished, as if on cue. She nodded obediently. "Leave it with me."

As Matron exited, the other nurse gave her a compassionate arm squeeze. "Don't worry, the shift will be over before you know it."

"Here's hoping in time for dinner anyway," Amy mustered a laugh.

"Are you seeing that fella of yours tonight?" The girl asked, trying to provide a moment of normality for both of them.

Amy shrugged, not particularly caring. "If there's time."

"When is there ever time around here?" The girl joked, turning on her heel and leaving her alone in the supply cupboard. Before making her own exit, Amy took one last gulp of water and a big, deep breath. She made her way back into the hive of activity in the main entranceway of the military hospital, bobbing and weaving amongst the bodies until she found herself back at the front entrance. Forcing herself to focus, she began shouting to the orderlies bringing the stretchered patients inside, telling them which wards to bring them to.

"What about this one?" A hospital orderly from behind asked, tapping her on the shoulder. She spun round to look at him, and then down at the patient whose stretcher he was directing. Frowning, she bent down to take a closer look. Her heart caught in her throat as she emitted a loud gasp, her hands suddenly flying to her chest. Was it him? Could it really be him lying in that stretcher unconscious? She was positive. Years had passed since she'd last seen him but she knew that it was him. "…David."

"Sorry, Miss?" The orderly asked, confused.

Her heart beating loudly, she gripped the bars of the stretchered trolley before looking desperately back at the orderly. "What's wrong with this man? Why is he unconscious?"

"He's not unconscious, he's just sleeping," The orderly raised an eyebrow at her. "He's only in for a leg injury."

Relief flooded through her. She put a hand to her chest again, feeling her heart racing at the sight of him.

"Miss…," The orderly pressed further. "Where am I taking him?"

"Oh," She shook her head, pointing with one of her fingers. "Ward 3." 

She watched hawk-eyed as the orderly manoeuvred the stretcher down towards Ward 3. She was so immersed in watching that she barely noticed Matron calling her name over and over again. Suddenly she collected her bearings, glancing apologetically at Matron. "Sorry, Matron. Temporary lapse."

"Focus, White. Focus!"

…

A couple of hours the team of nurses and doctors had managed to deal with the influx of new patients and had, for the most part, settled everyone down into a hospital bed. Eventually it was time for Amy to clock off from her twelve-hour shift. She'd done her best to avoid ward 3 for the remainder of her shift, telling herself that she should pay attention to the critical patients. However, with her cape wrapped around her shoulders and her knapsack in one hand, she inexplicably found herself at the doors of Ward 3, peering around the corner as discreetly as possible. She could see him sitting up in his bed, staring absent-mindedly in front of him. Over a year later and here he was, right in front of her. After all this time. David. She felt like she could cry, knowing that her reaction to seeing him was nothing if not proof that her feelings for him were as strong as they had ever been. The Nurse in her couldn't help but think that she should ask to change wards, as this was surely a conflict of interest. Still, part of her couldn't help but think that maybe fate was playing its part. Couldn't this be a sign? A sign that she was meant to see him again. Lord knows she'd missed him. Yet still, there was still April. Amy presumed that that hadn't changed. Every inch of her wanted to rush forward and throw her arms around him, but her head stopped her. _Better to sleep on it_, she thought to herself, _and come back with a fresh head_. Turning on her heel, she left the hospital, and left David behind for the night.

…

_**October 12**__**th**__**, 1944- England**_

The next day Amy, still undecided by that point, was almost glad when Matron made the choice for her by handing her a stack of clipboards and shunting her towards Ward 3 and telling her to check dressings and stitches. She barely had time to check that her cap was clipped on in place before Matron ushered her through the double doors. He was lying on his back staring up at the ceiling, he didn't immediately notice her as she walked in. She discreetly made her way through the patients until, finally, she came to his bed, hating that she felt so nervous but adamant that she had to remain professional. She looked at his chart , clearing her throat to let him know that she was there. "How are we feeling today, Private?"

He slowly sat up in bed, wincing at the pain in his leg. He look from his leg up to her as he opened his mouth to reply, but stopped…blinking at the woman standing before him. "Amy?"

She simply nodded, biting her lip.

"Is that you? This isn't a morphine-induced dream, is it?" He asked, only half joking as he tried to stay calm. Inside, his heart was beating like a drum.

"No," She shook her head, hugging the clipboard to her chest. "It's me, David."

"Well, shit…," He said, leaning back in his bed. He was utterly gobsmacked.

"How's the leg?" She asked, lifting his blanket to look at the injury. She touched it softly.

He winced in pain. "A little tender."

"We'll get you some more morphine in due course," She said, smiling at him sympathetically.

"I can't believe it's you…," He said, still mesmerized and taken aback.

She opened her mouth to reply but the sound of the doors opening as Matron made her way into the ward made her jump. She simply smiled at him. "Good to see you again, Private."

With that she was off, the hem of her dress flying behind her as she near-ran from the ward.

"_Private_…," He repeated, frowning. How official. He couldn't believe it. He waved to another nurse passing by. "Excuse me, Nurse?"

"Yes?"

"I understand that I've had morphine since I've been here so I just need to ask…," He said, laughing a little, thinking that he might still just be crazy. "The nurse who was just in here. Her name was Amy White, yes?"

"Mmm hmm," The Nurse nodded, moving onto the next bed.

….

_**November 4**__**th**__**, 1944- England**_

Three weeks later David had more or less settled into life on the ward and was becoming used to it, and more so to being able to see Amy every day again. Amy had during those weeks too, found herself coming into work with a spring in her step. They didn't get to spend much time together but, when they did, their stolen conversations whilst she tended his wounds proved that it was as though they'd never been apart. In many ways though, it retained the innocence and charm of one they'd first met back in Toccoa. Neither one brought up the issue of why their contact had been severed. It wasn't the place. You could be sure, however, that it was something that rarely left the forefront of their minds.

On that particular day she came into the ward to find him finishing his hospital meal. She walked up, gathering together his dirty plates, smiling at his satisfied face. "Enjoy that?"

"Like you wouldn't believe," He replied, giving her a thumbs up.

She chuckled. "It always amazes me how you boys actually like the muck they serve up in here."

"After what we've been eating out there," He raised his eyebrows. "This is fine dining."

She cocked her head sympathetically. "Was it that bad, David?"

He began to nod, but stopped. An amused look spread across his face. "Did you actually…did you just call me David instead of _Private_?"

"Slip of the tongue," She rolled her eyes. "I have a surprise for you."

"Is that right?" He rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

She reached into the front pocket of her apron, lifting a book up just enough so that he could see the title. "I thought you'd be going out of your mind staring at that wall in front of you and I've seen the books we have on offer in here and they're not great. I thought I'd bring you something from my own collection."

"You're spoiling me," He said with a smile, reaching out for it.

"Uh-uh," She shook her head, putting the book firmly back in her pocket. "Let's get you walking first."

"Oh," He said, begrudgingly pulling his legs out of the bed and onto the floor, adding sarcastically. "I forgot that I'd forgotten how to do that."

"Very funny," She said, putting an arm around his waist and helping him to his feet. "You've hardly left this bed in the last three weeks except to answer nature's call and you _do_ have a leg injury."

"I'm not a cripple," He argued, wincing slightly as she forced him to his feet and led him to the empty corner of the ward.

"I know, I know," She sighed, positioning him in the corner and distancing herself a few paces away. "Standard rehabilitation procedures, David. It's only for a little while every day. Now walk to me."

He took a step forward, emitting a sharp gasp as pain shot through his leg. He looked at her, slightly embarrassed for the shortcoming.

"Slowly, slowly…," She said, smiling encouragingly at him.

He became slightly lost in that oh-so-familiar smile, unable to stop himself from expressing as such. "God, I've missed that smile."

She stared back at him, the rhythm of her heart beating like a drum. "Come on, let's focus."

He clamped his lips together, looking down at the floor, frustration echoing through his body. For him being near her presented itself as a daily bout of mental torture. He'd heard nothing from her for almost two years and now here she was, in his life every day, and he wasn't even able to ask her about it because it was her place of work. But, he reasoned, a soldier suffers every day, so he shut his mouth and concentrated on taking another step forward. He shrugged his shoulders as he did so. "So, why didn't you make it very far from the US? I figured you'd be off out in the Pacific or something. This seems like a nice little safe job for you."

"It was supposed to be temporary," She explained, watching his footwork carefully. "We were only supposed to be stationed here for a month or so to get a little experience of coping with daily influxes of casualties. We couldn't really get that kind of experience in the US. Anyway, we were supposed to be moving on, and the rest of my unit indeed _have_ moved on."

"But you stayed?" He frowned. "Why?"

She looked away, her cheeks tingeing red with embarrassment. "The Matron here took a liking to me, I suppose. She asked if I wanted to be transferred under her command. I said yes. I suppose…well, I suppose I was a little scared of going out into the hospitals on the frontlines, and so I was relieved when she asked me. Not very brave of me."

"It was the smart thing to do," He said, smiling reassuringly at her. "Don't worry about being afraid. I'll let you in on a little secret."

"And what's that little secret?" She asked, a hand on her hip.

"When I was shot in the leg," He said, taking another slow step towards her. "I wasn't _completely_ upset at the prospect of a little furlough."

"Tut tut," She wagged a finger, chuckling. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me."

He neared her, just one step away.

"There you go," She smiled triumphantly, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You did it."

He melted slightly at her sudden touch, causing his leg to dip slightly, causing him to fall towards the floor. She hurried to catch him, both sitting down in a crumpled heap on the floor. In the fall his arms had ended up around her waist, their faces just centimetres apart. He wanted nothing more than to lean forward and place a kiss on those rosy, supple lips. He gladly observed that she seemed to be just as hypnotised, her eyes fixed onto his, searchingly. He knew he'd better enjoy it whilst it lasted, however, as any second she was going to remember that she was at work and wrench herself away from him. Bingo. There it was. She suddenly broke away from his grasp, scrambling to her feet and pulling him onto his. She cleared her throat, averting her eyes. "Let's, um…let's try again shall we."

She walked him back to the corner and then took a few steps away from him, motioning for him to walk to her again.

A nurse burst into the ward behind them, walking over towards them with her arms folded. "Working right to the end again, White?"

"What?" Amy turned round to face the nurse, whom she recognised as Erin, a petite nurse with blonde hair, which poked out from underneath her cap in wisps.

Erin pointed to the clock above their heads. "It's six."

"Oh, right," Amy nodded. "I lost track of time."

"Henry is waiting for you outside, says he's taking you to dinner," Erin explained, motioning towards the window. "He looks handsome tonight, you lucky lady."

Every part of Amy wished at that moment that Erin would shut up. She nodded curtly at the Nurse. "Thanks, Erin."

"So, you go on and have some fun and I'll take over here for you with David," Erin said, smiling over at David. "Making progress, David?"

David didn't reply, staring at Amy. He was dumbstruck by what he'd just heard. He suddenly snapped back to earth, shrugging his shoulders. "Alright, I suppose."

Amy couldn't bring herself to look at him, turning on her heel and making her way out of the room, tossing the book onto his bed and mumbling over her shoulder. "See you tomorrow."

Suddenly, David and Erin were alone in the room. David, defeated, sagged his shoulders.

"Alright," Erin said, clapping her hands together enthusiastically. "Why don't you try walking to me once more and then we can leave it there for today?"

She received no response from her patient, however, who simply limped over to the window, peering out and down at the entrance. He saw Amy throwing her cape around her shoulders as she left alongside a tall, dark-haired man. Jealousy swept over him, jealousy and anger.

"David," Erin pressed, walking behind him. "What are you looking at?"

"Who is he?" He asked gruffly, pointing out of the window. "The man who Amy is leaving with?"

She looked out of the window. "_Nurse White_ is leaving with Henry."

"Are they _together_?"

"Private, I can't discuss personal information with you. You know that," She shook her head at him, looking at him warily.

"_Please_," He looked at her imploringly.

Her expression softened. She was no Sherlock Holmes, but she knew well enough that the two had a history. Neither had said anything, but they didn't have to. They wore the information on their faces for all to see. She sighed. "He's Henry. He's a voluntary orderly at the hospital and he's been quite taken with our little Amy."

"Voluntary?" David squinted his eyes to watch the couple walking further into the distance. "He's not a soldier?"

"He has a heart condition," Erin shook her head. "Keeps him out of the war."

"How long has it been going on?" He asked heavy-hearted.

"Only a few weeks," She said, leading him back to his bed. "I think that's enough for today. Get some rest, David."

…..

_**November 8**__**th**__** , 1944- England**_

Rain pounded against the windows as the hospital. David watched the water rolling down the window panes, his arms folded tightly against his chest as he lay in his hospital bed. In his head he couldn't stop himself from replaying the sight of Amy walking off with another man into the distance. It had hurt. They say that time is a healer and, to some extent, for him it had been. He still thought of her everyday but as the year had gone by without seeing her the ache had begun to dull slightly. He wasn't prepared for all of those raw feelings to come flooding back the moment that he saw her again. That was the situation, though. It was like he'd never even left Toccoa. He looked up to see her walking into the ward, a sheepish look on her face. It was the first time he'd seen her in a few days. He didn't know where she'd been. Hiding in another ward, probably. As she neared him, he suddenly felt the air drain from the room. He yanked on the collar of his t-shirt, trying to fan himself.

"Are you okay?" She asked, a concerned look on her face as she approached him. The nurse in her reached out a hand, feeling the temperature of his forehead.

He pulled away from her touch. A gut reaction. "It's a little hot in here. I need some air."

He'd begun to fidget considerably by that point so Amy, having seen it all before with other patients, put her arm around his waist and hoisted him to his feet, leading him towards the hallway. "Come on, let's get you outside for some air."

She gently helped him to walk out of the hallway, manoeuvring him along. Halfway down they were stopped by the sound of Matron pounding down the hallway. She stopped as she saw them, giving Amy a questioning look.

"Webster here needs some air," Amy said, smiling innocently. "I'm going to take him outside."

"As you were," Matron said, casting Amy a look out of the corner of her eye before nodding consentingly.

Outside, she sat him down on a wooden chair positioned round the corner from the entrance, taking a seat opposite him on an upturned crate. They were huddled under safety of the sheltered roof, watching the rain fall down in buckets just inches away from them.

"Not doing so well today?" She asked, playing dumb yet she still found it difficult to look him in the eye. She couldn't imagine what he thought of her. "You've been doing so well. What's wrong?"

He glared at her. "Don't…."

"Sorry…," She whispered, looking down.

He couldn't take it anymore. He'd kept his questions bottled up for about a month now and it was absolutely insane. He'd never hid from the truth before in his life so why should he do it now? He shrugged at her, clapping his hands together. "So, who is the lucky man?"

"What?" She asked, tucking a strand of loose hair behind one ear, her cheeks tingeing pink.

"The one you left with yesterday," He looked at her pointedly. He sighed. "Just be honest, why don't you? I think it's the least that you can do."

Her eyes raised in alarm as she finally looked at him and was forced to view the pain in his eyes. The pain she had caused him…yesterday and almost two years ago. She owed him the truth. "His name is Henry."

"That much I gathered…."

"He's a nice man…a good man," Amy said quietly, fidgeting in her chair.

"Not been together long, I hear?" He asked accusingly.

"Well we're not really _tog-_…," She stopped, simply shaking her head. "…no."

"Not a soldier?"

"He has a faint heart condition," She explained. She awkwardly fiddled with her fingers. "Look, David…. I know that you probably hate me…."

"I don't hate you," He stressed, looking down. "I could never hate you. I'd just like to know why? Why didn't you ever write to me? You got the letters, didn't you?"

"I got them…,"

He let out an incredulous laugh, shaking his head and looking off into the distance before turning back to face her. "So…did you just stop caring about me?"

She began to well up as she gently shook her head, interrupted by the noise behind them of some nurses exiting the hospital. She fixed the cap on her head, trying to remain professional. "That's not an appropriate question."

"It made you cry…," He observed, reaching into his pocket and handing her his handkerchief.

She took it, quickly dabbing at her eyes before handing it back to him. She warned him. "_David…_."

"Stop! What, you can't give me a straight answer?" He asked, his anger flaring.

She simply looked away. "I cant give you the answers that you want, David."

He gave her a frosty look, rising slowly to his feet. "I'd like to go back inside now."

…..

_**November 12**__**th**__** , 1944- England**_

A few nights later Amy was on nightshift on ward 3 (David's ward). Given that it was the minor injuries ward, only one nurse was required to remain on nightshift with others in their dormitory on standby. At 2 a.m., the main lights were off in the ward as the patients slumbered. Amy sat in the office just by the door, lit by a single lamp. She sat at the desk, which was technically Matron's desk and housed all of her official paperwork. It was a particular piece of paperwork that, at that moment, had Amy reeling, fat teardrops trickling down her cheeks and onto the wooden framework of the desk. Amidst the tears, she stared down at the paper in her hand. A transfer order for David to a different hospital further north…the following day. He was leaving. She put the paper down, trying to catch her teardrops in her hands to stop the small puddle on the desk from growing larger. She couldn't believe that she was crying. Her nursing training had hardened her somewhat over the years. She couldn't remember the last time she had properly sobbed as she was doing right at that moment. Her job had turned her into an emotional wreck but she never actually cried because of it. She'd learned to keep it on the inside. That's why she was so amazed to find herself sitting there sobbing for the thought of losing David once more. Feelings raw as she did at that moment, she craved his touch. His presence had reawaken all of the feminine desire that she'd largely quashed in her determination to be a good nurse. She quickly dried her eyes, picking up the lamp and tiptoeing into the ward. Amidst the sound of snoring patients she found her way to David's bed. He was awake too, lying on his back and looking up at the ceiling. He sat up as she neared, looking at her in confusion.

"Have you been crying?" He whispered, squinting at her.

She held a finger to his lips, reminding him to keep it down. She whispered to him, holding out a hand to him. "Come with me."

"What? Where?" He frowned.

"Just come with me," She whispered again, taking his hand as he got out of bed. She led him quietly out of the ward and into one of the laundry cupboards in the hallway. It would've been pitch black if she hadn't brought the lamp. Finally, despite all of the people and places which had placed a great distance between the two of them, she finally had him alone in an enclosed space. Just the two of them…and the world stuck on the other side of the door. Cramped for space, their faces were just inches apart. He relished being so close to her again. He hadn't expected to be given their last altercation.

"What are we doing here, Amy?" He asked gingerly, admiring the way her face glowed in the light of the flickering lamp.

"I just wanted to…to tell you something," She breathed, swallowing hard. "You're moving out tomorrow. You're being transferred."

"Transferred?" He frowned, his heart sinking slightly. "Where?"

"A hospital up north," She explained, looking at him sadly.

"Why?"

"Your injury has healed," She shrugged. "You're moving on for rehabilitation. This hospital deals with casualties and they think you don't need to be here anymore."

"Shit…," He breathed, looking around.

"What?" She asked, looking at him expectantly. "You don't want to go?"

"Not particularly," He shook his head, his hand accidentally brushing her arm. "I'm not sure I want to leave this place behind. Or you behind, for that matter."

"Really?" Her eyes lit up. "Even after everything…?"

"That has never changed how I felt about you," He said, putting a hand on her shoulder and look earnestly into her eyes.

"David," She whispered, a tear trickling down her cheek. "I can't have you go without telling you something."

"Tell me then…."

"I love you," She put her hands over her face as the tears came thicker and faster. "I never stopped loving you. I've thought about you every single day…"

Finally hearing the truth, he took her in his arms, letting her bury her head into his shoulders as she sobbed quietly. "And the letters?"

"I still have every single one," She said, pulling back to look at him again. "I have my reasons for distancing myself from you, David. I can't tell you what they are but I need you to trust that I have them. I'm sorry if I hurt you but I promise you…I hurt myself, too."

David was lifted at hearing her say those three, little words. A smile played about his lips as he ran his hands up and down her arms.

"What?" She asked, confused by his smile.

"Say it again…," He said, beaming, his arms encircling her waist.

She chuckled, slightly embarrassed. "I love you."

For the next few moments they just took in the sight of each other, committing everything to memory. She could feel the desire building up within her and, as he drew her close, his lips closing in on hers, she knew that he felt the same. Within seconds, they were fumbling at each other's clothing and, within moments he'd hoisted her up onto a folding table. That night, there in the laundry cupboard on their last night together in the hospital, they made love, desperately and passionately.


	16. Chapter 16 Highs and Lows

**Or That Is How Long I Have Loved You: Chapter 16**

…**..**

**Hi! Alright, first things first, let me apologise profusely for going AWOL for a while. A lot of things have been going on recently, such as going on summer holidays and graduating (yay!), so I was swept up a little in all of that. However, if truth be told, I have to admit that I ran out of steam a little bit with this story. I wasn't sure if I was writing very well or whether it was very enjoyable to read. The good news is, though, is that it gave me time to think about the story and think about where I want to do it so I now officially have the whole plot worked out and know exactly where this story is going.**

**Sorry this is a little bit of a shorter chapter than usual. I'm just easing myself back in! Enjoy : ). NOTE- the first section is in italics as it's actually set before the events of the last chapter. I just didn't want to include this scene in the last chapter as I wanted it to just be about Amy and David. Hope this isn't too confusing, lol.**

I hope you're all having a lovely summer (or winter, depending on where you live!)

**Xxxxx**

…

_**August 26**__**th**__**, 1944- Paris, France**_

_The Champs-Élysées was alive with excitement and soaked in high spirits. Excited singing, laughs and cries of "Vive la France!" and "Vive de Gaulle!" pierced the air, making themselves heard above the roar of the tanks. April was tired beyond belief from the evening before, having travelled through the night amongst convoys to get there. However, amidst the fatigue that she felt she couldn't help but soak up the excited atmosphere. She made her way through the mass of excited people, wondering for a moment where Judy had gotten too. She gripped her camera tightly in one hand. Oh well, she reasoned to herself, they'd meet up at the hotel later. Feeling a tap on her shoulder she whipped her head around, only to find an excited young woman with one arm apiece clamped around the shoulders of two young American soldiers. _

_The girl pointed to her camera. __"Excusez-moi. Prenez une photo de moi avec ces soldats, s'il vous plaît." _

_April squinted at her, frowning. She hadn't paid much attention in French lessons at high school. "I'm sorry, I don't understand."_

Luckily, one of the soldiers had. He smiled politely at her. "She wants you to take a photograph of us, Ma'am, if you don't mind."

"Sure," April nodded, lifting her camera and pointing. Click. 

_Nodding graciously at the thanks of the three of them, she turned away and continued away, making her way further to the side of the crowd. She could see up ahead a cluster of people chanting. Their chants however, were far more hostile than those of their fellow compatriots celebrating the Liberation of Paris. April frowned, her curiosity piqued. She carefully pushed her way through the crowd, peering over the people to see what was happening. She gasped, putting a hand over her mouth in surprise. In the centre of the crowd, a girl forcibly sat on her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks as a man roughly cut her hair off, a cigarette poking out of the corner of his mouth. The crowd, much to April's surprise, seemed to be egging him on in their cries of approval. April couldn't quite believe her eyes. She couldn't believe the hostility coming from the crowd. What had this girl done? She didn't know what to do, so she did the only thing she knew to do. She raised her camera to her eyeline, and captured the event onto a picture. The flash of her camera attracted the girl to look in her direction. April gave her a sympathetic smile, unsure of what else to do. The woman looked at her almost imploringly, but April knew that she could do nothing for her. Somewhat heavy-heartedly she turned away, making her way back through the crowd. She couldn't feel the same excitement though. The experience had been tainted. It was the first truly horrific thing she'd seen about this war, and amongst such a celebration to boot. How naïve she was at that time. She couldn't have known that she'd see so much worse in due course. _

…

_**March 12**__**th**__**, 1945- Sea**_

Amy sat on the deck of the ship, on a makeshift chair she'd fashioned from upturning a crate. She wrapped her cape further around her shoulders, shivering against the cold of the chilly springtime air at sea. She fiddled with the pen she clasped in one hand as she sighed deeply, looking out into the deep blue of the vast ocean. Which ocean, exactly, she wasn't sure. As was typical with the army, she hadn't the faintest where she was heading. It was inevitable. Her cushy job in the hospital had to end sometime and, there she was, living that reality. She shivered against the cold once more, her teeth almost chattering. _Still_, she couldn't help thinking to herself, it was better than life below deck, cramped and smelly. Behind her she heard steady footsteps on the ground, followed by a hand tapping her shoulder ever so gently. She turned her head slightly to the side, not enough to face her approacher, but just enough to see that he was a soldier.

"Excuse me, Miss," The soldier said, standing next to her, relaxing on his heels and placing his hands nonchalantly in his trouser pockets. "Forgive me for saying, but you seem a little lonely all by yourself here."

A fellow nurse's voice piped up from a few metres away. "Wasting your time there, Soldier. She's taken!"

The soldier, blushing and chagrined, made his excuses and left. Amy shot the nurse a thankful smile, before reaching into her front pocket and pulling out a sheet of curled up paper and a pen. This was no good. She was physically on the boat, that much was for sure, but emotionally-speaking she was very much elsewhere…with David. With a heavy heart, she began to write.

_Dearest David,_

_As I write this I am finally on the move. To where I cannot, of course, tell you. Suffice it to say I am no more the wiser than anyone else on my whereabouts. I can't say that I won't miss the hospital but I knew in my heart of hearts that this day was coming. It gives me the slightest comfort to know that I may be moving closer to you. I wait with anticipation for a day when we might be together all the time. I can't deny however that the thought of moving further into the action scares me more than it ever did. I want, of course, to fulfil my duty to my country but I find that fear seeps in every possible pore. In these times I must hang on to the words of Hemingway, who said "the world is a fine place, and I hate very much to leave it"._

_Take care of yourself won't you?_

_All my love,_

_Amy _

…

_**April 12**__**th**__**, 1945- New York City**_

Judy's secretary at Epoch magazine drank her morning coffee, absent-mindedly sifting through the mail which had arrived that morning for Judy as she sat in the Photography department of the magazine. A department which was decidedly quieter in the absence of Judy and her assistant, April…not that the secretary minded, of course, as her days had freed up considerably. She threw Judy's letters into a box with all of her other unopened mail which, by now, totalled practically a whole forest's worth of paper. She paused as she came to the last letter on the pile. It wasn't for Judy but, rather, for April. She rolled her eyes, noting that it came from the same address as the few others piled on her desk. The first letter from him in a while. _Who is this David Webster anyway? _She wondered to herself, slightly annoyed that April, someone as the same age as her, was meeting handsome soldiers wherever she was.

"Don't hold your breath, _David Webster_," She muttered to herself as she rose to her feet, tossing the letter onto April's desk with all of the others. "She won't be writing you back anytime soon."

The letter from David lay there along with all of the others, all of them collecting dust. The secretary looked at all of the letters and wondered just what could be _so_ important that this man just kept on writing. _Well_, she reasoned to herself as she looked around to make sure that no one was watching her, _no one will notice if one little letter is missing._ Snaking back to her desk with one of the letters, she quickly opened it and began to read.

_November 16__th__, 1944_

_April,_

_Still no reply to my letters. You're getting to be as bad as your sister. I trust you're keeping the home fires burning and that it's no less than vital photography that keeps your from writing back to me? I hope all is well in New York. I have so much to tell you and I hope that I don't forget a single moment of it. When I was on the boat out, I wrote a letter to your sister. I thought it was to be my final letter, in which I expressed my desire for her to be happy and showing that I understood that she simply didn't want to keep in contact with me. From that moment I thought that that chapter of my life had closed, that I had to move on. I've never really believe in fate, April, not until now anyway. I injured myself (nothing too serious and I'm sure you understand that I can't give you all of the details) and found my way back to a hospital. Imagine my surprise to bump into your sister of all people working as a nurse there. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. It was her, it was really her. You'll be pleased to know that she's safe. I'd like to tell you that she's thriving in her position there but, like all of us out here, she bears the signs of war on her face. It makes no odds to me, as she is still the most beautiful creature I've ever laid my eyes on…and seeing her was the best medicine the US Army could've offered me. At first she was a little wary of me and wouldn't tell me why she hadn't written to me. To this day I still don't know what secret she's hiding behind those beautiful eyes which made her think that we shouldn't be together. None of that mattered, though, as love has a way of getting back on the right track and within weeks we shared an embrace. I'm not sure what the future holds for us but one thing I'm certain of is that all hope is not lost. Don't get me wrong, when I left her for the second time my heart broke all over again, but it's different this time. This time I have a renewed sense of hope._

_I hope that this letter brightens up your day. I had to write you as soon as I left the hospital. There was no one else I'd rather share the news with first._

_All the best,_

_David._

…

_**April 14**__**th**__**, 1945- Sea**_

Amy slept soundly on that fateful night, lulled by the waves which gently rocked the boat. Her peaceful dreams were interrupted, however, but the large explosive which dug its way into the belly of the boat. It hit the boat with such a force that she was propelled from her bed and onto the hard wooden floor with a bang. She awoke instantly, her face reeling from the hard impact of the wooden floor. She gasped, sitting up, feeling the boat lurching in all direction around her but seeing nothing in the darkness of night save for a few shards of light peeking through slight crevices in the walls. Everything was deadly silent for a moment apart from the sound of blood rushing to her head. That brief second of silence was dashed, however, when screams and cries rose from all part of the boat. Desperate screams and wails invaded her ears and set her heart beating.

"She's hit!" a voice cried out from somewhere.

"Everyone on deck!" Came another.

Amy sat where she was. She couldn't move, rooted to the floor with fear. She swallowed heavily.

"Amy!" A nurse stopped quickly at the door to her cabin, screaming at her before rushing on. "We've been hit! Get dressed and get on deck, NOW!"

Amy somehow found her way to her feet. With shaky legs, she tried to turn on the lights but had no luck. Using nothing but the faint moonlight, she managed to quickly throw her uniform and her heavy cape, struggling to stay on her feet as the boat continued to lurch. She quickly scrambled from cabin, making her way somehow past panicked bodies and through tilting hallways until she finally arrived on deck.

"Mayday!" She saw someone cry into a radio out of the corner of her eye.

"We're going down!" someone cried, approaching her and grabbing her arm warningly before moving onto the next person.

Her eyes-were wide as saucers as she steadied herself on the railing, noticing how far the boat was tipping. It was utter chaos everywhere around and all that she could think about was the big blue ocean the boat was sinking into. She began to convulse with fear, tears streaming down her cheeks. As the boat made its final descent into the water, she people crushed against her at the railings, some jumping into the water already. Without thinking and out of sheer panic she, too, traversed the railings and looked out at the water below her. A hand roughly grabbed her arm and she looked back into the face of a sailor.

"No, don't jump! You'll be sucked in when the boat goes down!" He implored her.

Not knowing what to do, she turned back around to face the water but, as she did so, her foot slipped and her hands freed from the safety of the banister. As she hurtled towards the water at the speed of lighting, two thoughts reverberated in her head. The first was that she was going to die out here in this water, and the second was the she was never going to see her loved ones again. As her body made contact with the icy water, an image of David flashed into her head, before everything went black.

…

_**June 12**__**th**__**, 1945- Toccoa, Georgia**_

Mrs White hummed to herself as she washed the breakfast dishes in the sink, looking out of the kitchen window and into the garden. Birds chirped outside. It was a pity, she thought to herself, that she didn't have her family altogether with her to enjoy this beautiful summer they were having. The sound of the postman's bicycle sounded up the road to their house. Reaching for a dishtowel, she made her way out into the front garden just in time to waving politely at him as he handed her a stack of mail. She slung the dishtowel over her shoulder and began to flick through. She paused at a letter bearing US military insignia. Her heart began to thump. She'd been dreading a letter. They rarely bore good news. In some cases, as the housewife down the road had found out days earlier, the news was fatal. She flipped the letter over and began to rip it open, her fingers trembling.

"_Amy_…," A choked whisper escaped her throat as she freed the letter from the confines of the envelope.

….


	17. Chapter 17 Reunion Part 1

**That Is How Long I Have Loved You: Chapter 17**

…

**Okay, a little explanation to this chapter. It is a given that April has been experiencing the war for quite a few months but I didn't want to focus too much on what she witnessed/experienced as that isn't the main focus of the story and would've led to many chapters which didn't feature the BoB guys. I've just tried to reflect what she went through a little into her character as it is now. Anyway, enjoy! Thanks to everyone sticking with the story. All reviews appreciated : )**

…

_**July 2**__**nd**__**, 1945- En route into Austria**_

April and Judy rode in the back of a canvassed army truck, one amongst a sizeable convoy, through the mountains of Austria. April peered out from the canvas flap, her eyes agog at the peaks around her. Never in a million years would she ever have imagined she'd see scenery like this. It almost made her laugh because she'd found the skyscrapers of New York a marvel…until now that was. She ran a hand through her hair which, by this point, barely skimmed her shoulders. It was the shortest she'd ever worn it and that was in part a reflection of her changing style as she moulded herself on Judy but, sadly, also because hair salons weren't exactly easy to come across in war-torn Europe. Luckily she'd run across some soldiers who worked as barbers back home and, had it not been for them, she feared she might've look like Rapunzel by now.

April whistled from behind the canvas flap. "Judy, take a look at this."

Judy, sitting nearby, a tendril of her cropped hair falling down over one eye as she studied some photographs with intent as she cast her expert eye over her recent photographs, barely cast an eye up at April. "No. I don't want to ruin it."

"Ruin it?" April frowned, looking back at her.

"Mmm hmm," Judy replied absent-mindedly, finally looking up at her protégée. "If we're moving in this truck then I can't take photographs of the my surroundings…and if I can't do that then what's the point in even looking? Why would I do that to myself?"

April continued to frown. "That makes no sense."

"Listen to your mentor, young lady," Judy teased with a light smile. "That is one of Judy Orr's original philosophies."

"Crazy philosophy," April smirked.

"But a philosophy nonetheless," Judy insisted, motioning with her hand. "Now close the flap, would ya?"

April reluctantly did so, blotting out the light of the glorious Austrian summer sunshine. She shifted her position, sitting down opposite Judy. She folded her arms across her chest, relaxing into her seat. "How'd we end up in a beautiful place like this anyway?"

"Well," Judy said, not looking up. "Now that the war is over, America wants to see her boys enjoying themselves over here. Happy, healthy and ready to come home again."

"Happy…," April said dryly, the smile dissipating from her face. She'd seen enough of the conditions in Europe during the course of this war to know that most of the young men wouldn't class themselves as "happy" to be there.

"I know, I know," Judy agreed, nodding along. "But it's what they're paying us to do."

"Now _that _I like," April let out a little laugh. "So, where to in Austria then, Boss?"

"What'd I tell you about calling me Boss?" Judy shot her a look. "Makes me sound like some fat, balding man in his fifties with braces and a cigar sticking out of his mouth."

"Where to, _Judy_?" April emphasised.

"Well," Judy looked up, a devilish glint in her eye. "We had a few options, but when I saw the one we're going to right now I just jumped at the chance…for your sake, actually."

"What do you mean, for my sake?" April asked, intrigued.

"You'll see…,"

Their truck rumbled on.

…..

_**July 4**__**th**__**, 1945- Zell Am See**_

The truck finally came to a stop. April woke with a start. The few days in convoy had taken their toll on her. In the winter she would've been glad of the comfort and cover of a canvassed trucked but here, during the stifling heat of summer, she felt like she was in a boiler."Are we here yet?"

"I guess so," Judy said, standing up. She could hear chatter outside and the sound of men and luggage being unpacked from the other trucks. "We're here."

"About time," She said, clambering to her feet and deftly opening the flap, letting a cascade of light flow into the truck.

"What?" Judy asked teasingly, squinting against the sudden onslaught of light. "You didn't enjoy this journey with me?"

April hopped from the truck entirely gracelessly (a common theme since she arrived in Europe), landing hard and clumsily on her two feet. On instinct, she held out a hand to help Judy out of the truck. "No. I'm tired, I'm dirty, my back is in pain and I am _starving."_

Judy's face glazed over in amusement as she looked behind April at the dark-haired man who'd walked over to greet them. The man who was standing right behind April, folding his arms in amusement as she rambled on about her aches and pains.

April turned round slowly as it dawned on her that someone else was listening in on their conversation. She took in the sight of the man, who could barely contain his amused smile. "…hi."

"Ladies," He nodded politely at them, managing to conceal his urge to laugh. He looked at Judy, holding out a hand. "Ms. Orr?"

"That's me," Judy shook his hand.

"Captain Nixon," He introduced himself, releasing her hand. "Lewis Nixon."

"Captain Nixon," Judy nodded politely, motioning to April with a flick of her wrist. "This is my assistant, April."

"Nice to meet you April…," His voice tailed off as he extended his hand to her , prompting her for her second name.

"White," She said quickly, still blushing slightly. "April White."

"Nice to meet you, Miss White," He said, smiling. "…and I think we can help you out with at least 2 of those problems you mentioned."

"Oh," She said, looking down, embarrassed.

"You've made my assistant blush, Captain," Judy joked, digging her elbow playfully into April's side.

"I see that," He chuckled, waving a hand dismissively. "Just having a little fun. Anyway, welcome…."

For the first time, both girls looked up into the front façade of the extremely large hotel in which they were going to be staying. Both opened their mouths in surprise almost simultaneously. It was unlike anything they'd ever seen before. Sun glinted off of the white and red colouring, making it bright and invading on the eye. Neither girl could quite believe the sheer size of it.

Judy whistled.

"Impressed?" Nix asked, putting his hands on his hips as he looked up at it.

"I'll tell ya, Captain," Judy said. "I've stayed in some nice places in New York but I've never seen _anything _like this."

"Wait'll you see inside,"

"All in good time, Captain," Judy said, folding some loose strands of hair out of her face as she reached into her satchel for her camera. "I feel inspired now. I need to scope this fantastic landscape."

April raised her eyes a little. "You're going off right now?"

"What was the first thing I ever taught you April?" Judy said, switching some of the dials on her camera. "When the motion strikes, you have to let it take you. You take care of the paperwork with the Captain here, alright?"

"And I'll get the luggage too, shall I?" April added sarcastically.

"That'd be great thanks," Judy called back nonchalantly, ignoring the sarcasm, flashing them both a smile before striding out towards the vast greenery surrounding the hotel at every corner.

"I'll get one of the men to bring your luggage up to you," Nix said reassuringly, motioning for her to follow him. "Come on, I'll show you where you're staying."

He led her inside the vast entranceway and up the most elegant set of wooden stairs she'd ever seen. He led her down a series of corridors until they stopped a large, heavy oak door bearing the number "44" in shiny brass. He opened it with a key, which he then held out to April. She didn't take it though, her eyes wide as she walked inside. Talk about luxurious. The room was like a small apartment, with two separate bedrooms and…a sofa. Yes, an actual sofa sat positioned in front of a decorative fireplace.

"A sofa…," She breathed out without realising.

"Never seen one of those before?" He joked.

"All due respect, Captain, but since I got to Europe the closest thing to a sofa I've seen is two upturned crates side by side with some newspaper on top."

He chuckled, backing gently towards the door. "Well I'll let you get settled. I'll have one of our men bring up your luggage, like I said."

"Thank you very much, Captain Nixon," She nodded appreciatively at him. A thought struck her. "Oh, what about this paperwork that Judy mentioned?"

"We can take care of that later," He said. "I actually have an appointment to make at the moment so if you could ask Ms Orr to find me later."

"I will do," She nodded, understanding. 

"Have a nice stay," He said, as though he were a bellboy or something.

"Captain?" She asked, calling him back once more.

"Mmm hmmm?"

"Just out of curiosity, what outfit is this?"

"506th," He replied, an official look on his face.

Her eyes glazed for a moment, a sense of déjà vu striking her. She couldn't place it until it hit her all at once with a bang. _506__th_! She couldn't believe her ears.

"Something wrong?" He asked, noticing that she'd paled considerably.

"No, I'm alright. It's just, Captain…what company are you with?"

"Easy Company," He said with a final smile, nodding politely at her one last time before closing the door behind him with a click.

April's stomach suddenly filled with butterflies as her heavy-laden legs forced her to sit down upon the plush sofa. Surely, surely, _surely_ David couldn't be in this hotel somewhere. Perhaps he'd switched to another regiment or…perhaps worse. He might have been injured…or dead. Goodness, what if he hadn't made it through the war? She shuddered slightly, not liking to think about that. She couldn't believe that Judy had engineered this. She quickly made her way to the bathroom, observing her face in the mirror. She looked such a mess. She couldn't bear the thought of him seeing her like this. She quickly washed her face, dabbing it dry with a towel. Still clutching the towel in her hands, she made her way back through to the sitting room. She felt conflicted. Part of her wanted to throw open the door and hunt him down, whilst the other part of her wanted to hide in this room and not leave until Judy said that it was time to go.

_Knock, Knock_. Came two sharp raps on the door.

Turns out she wouldn't have long to ponder her dilemma for too long as, when she tentatively opened the door, she found herself face-to-face with him. David Webster. It had been two straight years since she'd last seen him and the war had evidently taken its toll on him but at that moment every little feature of his face came hurtling back to her. His thick, full hair, his soulful eyes and his homely yet adequately dry grin. She remembered each any every one of them. It was still David Webster…and he'd made it through the war unscathed. He must have been experiencing the same reaction as neither of them spoke for at least 20 seconds. They simply stared at each other.

Then, David lightly whispered something which made her heart absolutely sink, even after all of these years. "…_Amy_."

Her eyes widened slightly and she frowned, correcting him. "…April."

"April! April of course I knew it was you! It's just I forget just how alike you both look," He said, excited to see her again and placing a hand on either side of her arms. "What are you doing here?"

She couldn't find the words at first to speak, so bizarre was this whole situation. "Photography for the War Department. I'm here with my boss from Epoch. How did you know I was here?"

"I didn't," He explained, motioning down to the bags in his hands. "Captain Nixon told me to bring these up to this room. I didn't expect to find you standing here in front of me."

"Well…surprise," it was all she could think of to say.

"Well this explains why you never replied to any of my letters," He clicked his fingers.

"Letters?" She asked, frowning. "You wrote me letters?"

"Quite a few, yes," He nodded. He quickly glanced down at his wristwatch. "Damn. I have to go…I'm on checkpoint duty."

"O-okay," She said, trying to shrug as nonchalantly as possible.

He looked at her incredulously, reaching forward and giving her cheek a quick kiss. He'd never know that the small act sent small volts of electricity flowing through her. "Can I meet you later, though? We have a lot to catch up on."

"Later?" She said, her heart pounding. "Sure."

"Great," He said, looking at her once more before leaving, a small whistle escaping from his lips. "April White…I can't believe you're really here."

"Neither can I…," She whispered gently to herself as she shut the door, groaning.

…..

Just over an hour later, April had blissfully sunk into the tub in their room, letting the water take away her nerves. It was the first time in a long time that she'd been able to enjoy the simple pleasure of having a soak in the bath…and she liked it. Of course it was easier for her to tell herself that she had dive bombed straight for the tub after David's departure simply to clean herself after her long trip out here, but in reality she knew that seeing him again had reignited all of her feminine urges, her desire to have him look at her and think she looked pretty. Stretching out a leg, she rubbed a bar of standard army soap between her fingers and lathered to suds onto her skin. Satisfied with the results, she let her leg slip back into the water, which the soap had covered in a thin layer of bubbly suds. She slid her whole body further under the bubbles and let the warmth take over. Suddenly the door to the bathroom burst open with a start and Judy sashayed into the room, her arms held out wide as she looked at April. "Is this place the Ritz or what?"

April barely batted an eyelid as Judy burst in on her in the bath. It would have shocked her back home but out here in Europe, living in such close quarters, one had to get used to such things. After all, everyone still had to wash. If anything she felt a little annoyed at the sight of Judy, who had brought her here after all. She just shrugged, scowled and uttered a single word. "Hmmppph."

Judy folded her arms, amused, and cocked her head at her assistant. "I take it you discovered my little surprise then."

"I sure did," April put on an over-enthusiastic, sarcastic smile, one hand bursting out from the depths of the water to give a thumbs up. Her facial features settled back normal as she gently rolled her eyes. "Why did you bring me here?"

Judy frowned, sitting down on the side of the tub. "What's all this? I thought you'd want to see him again. I mean, you said he wasn't together with your sister anymore. Isn't that what you told me?"

"Well, that's as far as I know," April shrugged, sighing heavily as she pinched her nose between her eyes, squeezing them shut slightly. "It's just that…I finally felt like I was moving on. Out here, doing all this…it was working. At least, I thought it was. Then I saw him today and everything came flooding back to me, like I've taken two steps backwards."

Judy paused for a moment, pursing her lips together as she tried to formulate her next phrase as tactfully as possible. No, there was no tactful way to say this. "Don't be so pathetic."

April blinked. "Come again?"

"Life is too short to let chances pass you by," Judy reasoned, putting her hands firmly on her hips. "Your sister would be with him if she wanted to…but she isn't."

"…as far as I know," April reminded her.

"Details, details," Judy rolled her eyes. "What kind of sap sits back and lets opportunities pass them by. This man has been at the forefront of your mind for years, that much I know. If you devote that much of your life to something, where is the sense in letting it slip? At least see where it could go? Explore all avenues, all possible angles. That's what a good photographer would do…."

She'd done it, April thought to herself with a small amount of fear suddenly coursing through her. Judy had put the idea into her head that it was a possibility. That made April uneasy, as with possibility came the capacity to get very hurt indeed. "I suppose."

"There's my girls," Judy smiled. "Are you going to find him later?"

"He asked me to meet him," April supplied the information.

"Excellent," Judy rubbed two hands together. "A very good sign. Put rollers in your hair to let it dry. It looks nice when it curls."

"I forgot I'd brought those," April smiled to herself, shooting a triumphant look in Judy's direction. "See, I told you those were _essential travel materials_."

"Okay, okay," Judy said, standing up from the edge of the tub and rolling her eyes. "Hurry up in there would you. I need to bathe myself tonight too, you know."

"Why?" April squinted. "What are you doing tonight?"

"I've been invited to join some very high up men indeed here in a brandy this evening," Judy said, putting her hands on her hips and looking very pleased with herself indeed. "…Captains, Lieutenants, and even a Major. Seems word got around that I was coming. I didn't know I was such a celebrity."

"Mmm hmmm," April nodded doubtfully, smirking a little, knowing that Judy knew exactly how widespread her reputation at the magazine was. She frowned. "I would've thought a lot of the officials around her would've been intimidated by someone like you. No offence."

"I'm sure that they will be," Judy said, her eyes sparkling at the prospect of a challenge. "Oh well, I'll take some of the cigars I picked up in Germany to smooth them over."

…..

Her hair set in curls and a little rouge (the one item of makeup she'd jammed into her travel bag on departing for Europe) applied sparingly onto her cheeks, she stood back and surveyed herself in the mirror. She was wearing the sole articles of feminine clothing that she had brought with her: a calf-length black skirt and a plain white button-down blouse. _Simple_, she thought to herself, _but it'll have to do. _She glanced over at the clock, observing that she still had a few minutes before making her way downstairs. In the back of her mind, she couldn't help but think how nice it was to be back in his presence without her sister around. It was like the early days in Toccoa. She made her way over to her bed, and to her satchel which lay strewn across it. She hadn't much room for personal items, mostly necessities, but in addition to the rouge and hair rollers she'd packed the photo album that Judy had given her as a Christmas present a few years back. In all of the hustle and bustle of moving around she hadn't stopped to look at it for a while. Sitting down, she placed it on her lap and flipped open the first page. She smiled as she looked down at a picture of Bill and George jostling playfully with each other. _Bill. George_. At least if nothing else came out of her stay here then she'd have the chance to see some old friends. She turned to page, looking down at a photograph of her and David standing against the counter in the diner, smiles on their faces. She ran a finger gently over his face in the picture. She knew that she was a fool for re-opening old wounds again like this, for going once more into the deep abyss. Still, like Judy said, she should at least find out. She snapped the album shut and made her way downstairs.

…

She found him standing at the front entrance to the hotel, leaning against one of the large stone pillars as he smoked a cigarette thoughtfully, staring off into the distance.

"David," She said tentatively, coming up behind him.

He spun round to see her, a smile breaking out on his face as he did so. He immediately stubbed out his cigarette. "Hi. You look nice."

"Thanks," she looked down at the ground. "Thought I'd take advantage of the bathtub."

"Amen," He said, laughing a little. He nodded towards the path around the hotel. "Want to take a little walk?"

She nodded, following his lead. They walked down towards the water, finding a little dry patch of wall to sit on and stare out at the moonlight as it danced off of the water.

"I can't believe you're out here," He shook his head incredulously. "Out here in Europe taking photographs for the War Department. You, uh, you really did it, becoming a photographer."

"I'm not a proper photographer yet," She shrugged her shoulders absent-mindedly. "Not yet, anyway. I'll get there, though, with Judy's help."

"Judy Orr," He repeated the name to himself. "I met her in New York when I came to visit you."

"That's right," April nodded. "She's a genius."

David smiled at her enthusiasm. "Yeah, to bring you out here. I suppose…I suppose you've seen some things."

April paused a moment, certain memories of the war coming back to her. She shuddered lightly, looking back at him. "You too, I take it?"

He nodded too. They shared the same understanding look.

"Let's not talk about it," She said suddenly. "The war's over now."

"Agreed," He said, more than happy to change the subject, for she reminded him of happier times. He found himself simply staring at her, taking in the little nuances of her face.

She didn't fail to notice his intense stare, shifting a little in her seat. She rubbed the back of her neck with her hand. "What? Do I have something on my face?"

"No," He shook his head, turning away, a little embarrassed to have been caught staring. "It's just…seeing you again."

"I missed you too," She blurted out, chastising herself inwardly instantly.

"Of course I missed you," He nodded, as though it weren't even a question. "But also, just seeing how much like Amy you look."

There it was. The A-word. "Amy…."

"Amy…," He echoed.

She tried to act as nonchalant as possible, ignoring the pangs of jealousy which riveted through her. "Did she ever write you back?"

"Well…," His eyes lit up slightly. "There is so much to tell. I wrote it all to you in my letters of course, but I know now that you haven't received them."

"So much to tell?" She repeated, her heart beginning to sink.

"I was injured back in Holland," He said, putting his hands up to reassure her as her eyes widened at the news. "Just a dint in the leg, nothing big. Anyway, they sent me back to a hospital in England to recover."

"Mm hmm…," She said, nodding along.

He withheld the information a moment. "Amy was stationed there."

"Oh," April looked down for the briefest of moments, the wind knocked out of her sails, before forcing herself to look up with a smile. "Well, wasn't that a coincidence."

"Or fate, some might say," He smiled a little mischievously.

Somehow, she tried to joke slightly. "And was true love rekindled?"

To her disappointment, he nodded. "More or less. She was a little wary around me at first, but by the end of my time there it was as though we'd never been apart. Honestly, April, I cant even begin to describe how much of a relief it was after all of those months of missing her."

April saw how his eyes had glazed over as he fondly reminisced. She figured that that was the final nail in the coffin. "So you've resolved all of your differences?"

"I think so. I really think so," He said, nodding hopefully. "She started writing to me again after we parted. Well, I haven't had one in a few months but I'm not as worried as last time. Even if she doesn't write to me, I know how she feels about me. I've seen it in her eyes. Now I have something I didn't have before. Hope. It sounds stupid, I know, but…."

"It sounds perfect," She conceded, though it grated her to do so. She wanted to be sick. She was angry at herself for taking this gamble. She should've stayed away.

"Are you okay?" He asked, concerned. "You've gone a little pale."

Dusting herself down, she stood up. "Actually, I'm not feeling too good."

"Do you want me to walk you back?" He asked, standing up beside her, placing a concerned hand on her arm.

"No," She quickly recoiled at his touch. "I can see myself back up to my room. Night David."

She turned on her heel, pushing briskly past him and quickly strode back towards the hotel.

"Nice to see you too," He mumbled to himself as he watched her go. What was her problem?

All she was sure of was that she couldn't break her stride. She had so much anger coursing through her veins. For as much as she had matured and become independent since she'd left Toccoa, that she could still be reduced to a bumbling girl annoyed her. Though these thoughts reverberated in her head, she knew that her anger really stemmed from the fact that, after all of these years, she still couldn't get over a man who simply didn't see her like that. So focussed in her anger, she didn't even see Captain Nixon coming as she ploughed into him on her way up the front stairs to the hotel, forcing him to take a few brisk steps back.

"Slow down," He said, raising his eyes in surprise. He blinked at her. "Ms White?"

She finally noticed him standing there, blinking slightly as she tried to remember his name. "Captain Nixon?"

"That's right," He nodded. "Are you alright?"

"I'm just fine," She said through gritted teeth.

He took a step back, looking at her. "Forgive me ma'am, but I'm an Intelligence Officer here and it would be criminal of me to believe that."

She sighed. "You know what, Captain Nixon?"

"What?"

"I know that it was only this morning that I made your acquaintance and that what I'm about to say will make me seem less of a lady but I've had a long, hard day and it is getting worse by the second. I could really, _really_ do with a strong drink."

"That so?" He said, his eyes glimmering with amusement. He put a hand out and put a leading hand onto her upper back. "Why don't you follow me then?"

As she let him lead her, she noticed that he had one of Judy's cigars stored in his front shirt pocket.

"Good first day here, I take it?" He asked sarcastically.

"Eventful…"

….


	18. Chapter 18 Reunion Part 2

**That Is How Long I Have Loved You: Chapter 18**

…

**Please forgive me! I've been absolutely awful in updating! My life has gone to some odd yet interesting places in the last few months so I just haven't had the time to update. I'm at home for Christmas at the moment though so I found myself randomly sitting down at my computer tonight and the next thing I knew I'd written a chapter. I promise I'll try and keep up more regularly in my updates. I already have an outline for the next chapter. I hope that you've all had a wonderful Christmas and that you all have a great New Year's Eve. **

….

Lewis led her down the corridor to the left of the grand entrance hall of the hotel, returning the polite nods of the lower-ranked men who passed him as they went. Eventually he stopped outside of a room enclosed by two heavy oak doors, each adorned with an ornate brass handle. He stopped for a second, wrapping a hand around each of the handles.

"What is this room?" She asked, frowning a little as she eyed the door.

"Best damn room in the whole hotel if you ask me. Well, it woulda been…before the war," He tossed over his shoulder at her before pushing open the door to the large room.

She whistled softly to herself, impressed with the grandeur of the room as she took a few steps inside. A heavy oak bar with brass railing wrapped itself around one of the walls. Above her head, a glamorous, crystal teardrop chandelier hung from the ceiling, illuminating the room in its entirety. April imagined that it must once have been a great, ritzy hotel bar. She could almost here the soft, tinkling keys of the piano circulating the room whilst the men in their smart dinner suits enjoyed an after-dinner brandy and the women wore their beaded, floor-length evening gowns and their hair piled high on their head in glamorous updos held in place with layer upon layer of lacquer circulated around them, tittering in amusement. That would've been before the war of course, she couldn't help but think with some sadness. Now the room, which should've been kept in all of its splendour, had seemingly been turned into some kind of makeshift mess hall. Like this it wasn't enough to completely dazzle her to the point that she could forget about the train wreck of a day she'd had. _Pity_, she thought to herself, as she looked at the empty shelving behind the bar which once must've held glistening bottles of booze from all over Europe, nay the world. In her initial looking around the room she hadn't noticed that Lewis had taken it upon himself to sit himself at one of the bar stools, his neck craning round to stare at her quizzically when he realised that she hadn't followed her.

She began to catch up to him, dryly remarking as she took a seat next to him. "Well this must be the driest drinking hole I've ever seen."

He looked back at her, his mind made up. She was definitely the girl he'd seen on the docks that day taking photographs of the Red Cross girls when they'd left New York Harbour. She'd almost fallen and he'd just managed to catch her just in time. He'd been fairly positive that it was her when he'd met her that morning but she'd been a little scruffy from her journey. That evening however, looking at her after she'd tidied herself up and let her hair down, he was 100% positive that it was her. He snickered a little at her comment, reaching inside his coat pocket and producing a green, glass bottle. "Well, almost?"

She glanced at the label, noticing it was a bottle of VAT 69. She wrinkled her nose a little. "VAT 69?"

"Doesn't meet your tastes?" He asked, raising his eyebrows a little.

She shrugged gently, pushing the bottle absent-mindedly a few centimetres away from herself with her index finger. She sighed heavily, remembering the conversation with David. "Well, maybe just one glass. Whisky doesn't tend to agree with me."

"That so?" Lewis looked at her casually before reaching round the other side of the bar and producing two short tumblers. He poured a measure of alcohol into each glass, giving himself a little more than he gave her. He slid her glass slowly toward her, watching her pick it up and gaze forlornly at its contents for a second before she raised it to her lips. Jeez, he couldn't help but notice how damn sad this girl looked. She was a good looking girl but she could surely bring the atmosphere in any room down with the mood she was in. He pursed his lips for a second, searching for the right words. All of that went out of the window however when he opened his mouth and words tumbled out. "You do know that the war is over, right?"

"What?" She looked up, a little confused.

He laughed a little, his eyes creasing at the corners as he tried to emphasise that he was joking. "I mean, someone did tell you that, didn't they?"

She suddenly understood where he was going with this. "I am happy, of course…."

"Mm hmmm," He nodded dryly, not believing her. He topped up his own glass after downing its contents. He drummed a hand gently on the table. "So, why has your day been so bad?"

She didn't answer him, just raised her eyelashes slightly before staring back down into her glass, shrugging her shoulders. "I don't want to talk about it."

_Fair enough_, he thought to himself, deciding that he had to change tack with this girl. "So go on…enlighten me."

"About what?" She raised her eyes slowly to look at him.

"Earlier today, you seemed shocked when I told you that this was Easy Company," He said. "I was just curious as to why?"

"Oh…I come from Toccoa, Georgia," She explained nonchalantly, her heart lifting a little as she thought of home, then accompanied swiftly by a sudden wave of homesickness. She added hastily: "You and the other men in your company trained there a couple years back."

"That's right," He said as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully, a little surprised at the link. What were the chances that she'd been right under his nose the whole time he was training in Toccoa. His body warmed slightly, his second whisky giving him the confidence to edge ever-so-slightly closer to her. "What a coincidence. I wonder why I never saw you around. I would've remembered a face like yours."

Her stomach flopped a little at the compliment before it fell slightly. Wait, had that been a compliment? She wrinkled her nose in confusion at him. "Is that a good thing?"

"Very good thing," He reassured her with a slightly wink and a quick but wide-fingered pat on the hand which she had lain outstretched on top of the bar.

_Great_, she thought to herself with an accidentally obvious roll of the eyes, _another cocky soldier looking for some fun. _Why couldn't it ever be the right one (her one) putting the moves on her? After her encounter with David that night, this was the las thing she needed. Her expression grew stony. "That's a little bit bold, Captain. You barely know me."

He held his hands up dismissively, realising she was a little too touchy that evening to be receptive to his gentle flirting. "Understood, understood. No offence meant. Anyway, you said you were from Toccoa…. It _is_ a small place, though. I wonder why I didn't run into you."

"I'm surprised too," She shrugged her shoulders slightly. "I worked in the diner. Didn't you ever come in? Most of the rest of your regiment did."

He leaned back in his chair, laughing a little snootily as scratched the stubble on his chin and teased her gently. "Of course not. I was a Lieutenant back then. I couldn't be seen around greasy places like that."

"That's actually my Aunt's diner," She retorted, not missing a beat as she looked squarely at him.

"Oh…," He said, grimacing a little as he looked at her apologetically, but then leaning back into his chair, a small smile playing around his lips as he raised his eyebrows gently. "But then, I'm sure it had it's charms."

"That's okay," She said, a little laugh escaping her lips, which actually curled up into a smile.

"Hallelujah!" He joked, clapping his hands together. "I actually got a smile and a laugh out of that sad face."

She laughed again, suddenly feeling surprisingly more at ease in his company. However, that could just have been the whiskey at work. She finished the remainder of her drink, setting it down on the bar with a thud.

"Calling it a night then?" He asked, motioning towards the glass with his head and the finality of her actions. She _had _said after all that she only wanted one glass.

"Mmmm," She stretched her arms out in front of her, the whisky sending another wave of warmth throughout her body. She was surprised at how comfortable she suddenly felt in his presence after having made her laugh. She couldn't help but notice that there was something oddly familiar about him. "Actually…I might have another."

"Attagirl," He winked at her, filling up her glass once more.

As was the tradition whenever April was silly enough to drink whiskey, two glasses multiplied into around 6 or 7, by which time she was just past the point of tipsy. With a triumphant hand clap, she placed her empty glass on the bar and slid it towards him. "Fill 'er up, Barkeep."

"I think it's time to cut you off," He said, raising an eyebrow at her. Jeez, this girl was pretty far gone…he hadn't meant for that to happen. "I don't want to be the one responsible for getting you drunk."

"Well I wont tell anyone if you wont," She said, reaching for the bottle and grabbing it from his hands. She went to top her glass up but he removed the bottle once more from her hands.

"I'll do it," He said, holding the bottle just out of her reach. "But first…I want you to tell me something."

"And that would b-be…?" She asked, rolling her eyes and slurring her words slightly.

"Why has your day been so bad?"

She sighed overdramatically. "Why do you want to know so badly, Captain?"

"I just do," He shrugged. In truth he wanted to know for several reasons. For one, he wanted to know more about this mystery girl who'd darted fleetingly into his life several years ago.

"Well…," She pushed her glass away, no longer wanting the liquid within it. She relented hesitantly. "Back in Toccoa…."

"Lemme guess," He snapped his fingers triumphantly, watching as she looked quizzically at him. "One of our boys broke your heart, am I right? Wined you, dined you and promised you the world, right? Before taking off…"

"Wow, that's extremely detailed…," She raised an eyebrow at him, peering at him from the corner of her eye.

"Like I said," He shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm an Intelligence Officer…plus it wasn't hard to put two and two together."

"Well that's very perceptive of you," She remarked a little dryly. As she looked down into the whisky in her freshly-filled glass, she felt the floodgates opening and, as she raised the glass to her lips, she felt the tale come spilling out from her lips. "Well, for your information it wasn't _quite_ like that, but you're not completely wrong."

"Go on…," He pressed her tentatively.

"There's no story really," She shrugged her shoulders heavily, her head down as she studied the grooves and intricacies of the aged wooden bar. "I fell for one of yours boys. I fell hard."

"He didn't feel the same?" Lewis surmised.

"Oh he felt something alright," She nodded at him once or twice. "Just not for me."

"Best friend?" Lewis looked at her sympathetically.

She shook her head, rolling her eyes at him. "My twin sister."

"Geez," He grimaced. "Identical?"

"Mmm hmm," She said curtly. "And in true style, she just happened to be as enamoured with him."

"Well you know what they say about love," He mused, taking a sip of his whisky. "…that it's a bitch."

"I'll drink to that,"

"So who is it?" He asked, troubled at the sudden wave of jealousy which swept over him fleetingly. He tried to shake it off and keep things light.

She waggled a finger in a "no" motion across his face. "Oh no no no, I most definitely will _not_ be telling you that. In fact, I shouldn't even have told you as much as I did."

"Oh come on," He sighed, prodding her for information. "George Luz?"

"No!" She shook her head insistently. "That's as much information as you're getting from me."

"Well that's no fun," His shoulders dropped as he poured himself another glass.

"It doesn't matter anyway," She said forlornly, her heart sinking once again as the night's earlier events replayed once more in her head. "Nothing happened…and nothing ever will."

He paused, looking at her from out of the corner of his eye whilst his glass perched just centimetres away from his lips. What he was looking at was raw emotion in this girl's face. He didn't think he'd ever seen anything like it before. He set his glass back down on the bar, resting his hand down flat on the cool wood.

As both grew silent, her eyes wandered over to his hand, immediately taking in the sight of the gold wedding band which glinted in the light. She reached over and lightly touched it, simply commenting on what she saw. "You're married."

"What?" He looked down to see what she was doing, instantly pulling his hand away. "No, I'm not married."

"Then why are you…?" She asked, confused.

"Well I am married, but I'm not," He interrupted.

"Maybe I've had too much alcohol, but that didn't make a lick of sense to me," She argued.

"It's…," He said, putting his hand in his pocket, chastising himself for not taking the band off of his finger. "It's not important."

"I have time…," She said, gesturing in her drunkenness to the large clock on the wall as though she'd made some grand and poignant gesture. "Come on, Captain. I told you all of my tales of woe. The least you could do it tell me some of yours."

"I don't want to," He said, finishing the contents of yet another glass.

"That's rich…," She observed dryly, her eyes raised a little as she pointed a finger at him, which swayed gently from side to side thanks to her alcohol intake. "…after you've been pushing me all night to divulge all of my secrets."

Arriving at the door of the large bar and relieved to find her missing protégée, Judy couldn't have arrived at a more convenient time. Well, in Lewis' opinion anyway. The sound of Judy's heels clacking against the wooden floor made April stop in her hunt for Lewis' marriage story and turn around to look at her mentor. "Judy."

"There you are," Judy said with a sigh and a hand on her hip. "I've been looking for you." 

"Really?"

"Yes. I got back to the room and you weren't there. I thought you'd still be with…,"

"Uh uh," April cut her off quickly, holding up a hand as she jerked her head towards Lewis. "Don't say that name, especially not in front of the Captain here."

Judy frowned, suspecting that all had not gone well for April that evening. "Fine. Anyway I assumed you'd still be with _x_ and so I assumed you'd be having one hell of a great night, but then I saw…_x_…walking down a corridor alone and I wondered where the hell you were. Have you been here all night?"

"Almost all night," She said, taking another sip.

Judy looked at the glass and then at Lewis, raising an eyebrow accusingly. "Have you been feeding alcohol to my assistant, Captain Nixon?"

"I didn't make her do anything," He said, holding his hands up and disassociating himself from any blame. "She asked _me_ for a drink."

"Hmmm," Judy eyed him suspiciously, but with a faint amusement in her eyes. She could smell this man's intent on her assistant a mile away. Men always were easier to read than books, she always said. She motioned to the cigar in his pocket. "Keeping my cigar for a rainy day?"

"Cigars taste better when it's raining," He nodded with a smile.

"Quite," Judy said, putting a hand on April's shoulder. "Well Captain, I presume you wouldn't mind letting me take my assistant off of your hands. I think she's going to have to sleep this one off."

"I think you might be right," Lewis said, eyeing April as she drunkenly traced circles on the bar with her index finger. "Need a hand?"

"No, I've got her," Judy said, hoisting April to her feet despite drunken protesting. She added jokingly, "Besides, I think you've done enough, don't you."

"Like I said, I didn't _make_ her…," He repeated firmly.

"Cool your heels," Judy said, holding up her free hand with a smile. "I'm only teasing. Goodnight, Captain."

As Judy led April out of the bar, April suddenly stopped and turned back round. "Captain?"

Lewis nodded at her. "Yes, April?"

She squinted at him. "Do I know you?"

"Well we've been talking for a couple of hours so I'd sure as hell hope so," He joked.

She shook her head impatiently and pointed a finger at him. "No. I mean have I met you somewhere before Austria? I feel like I have…."

He paused for a moment before shaking his head. "Not that I know of."

With a shrug, she turned on her heels and let Judy lead her out. As he watched them leave, Lewis couldn't put his finger on exactly why he'd just lied. He pondered this as she finished up his drink.

….

Judy pulled the sheets back on April's bed, coercing her gently onto the mattress. She went to pull April's shoes off of her feet. "Shoes off."

With a groan, April let Judy slide her shoes off as she curled up under the duvet.

Judy sat down on the edge of the bed. "I take it things didn't go as planned, then? With David, I mean."

April didn't even open her eyes as she began to succumb to sleep. All that came from her mouth was a faint whisper. "He still loves her. Still loves Amy."

With that, she fell asleep.

Judy grimaced slightly as she stood up and slipped her hands into her pockets, rocking slowly back and forth on the balls of her feet. Boy, was April going to be livid with her in the morning for having brought her here.

…

April didn't wake until noon the next day, and that was with one heck of a throbbing headache. She couldn't take on board the full scale of her hangover, however, as what hurt more were the memories of the previous night, all of which she could remember in full detail. Rather than wallowing in between the comfort of the bed sheets, she forced herself to her feet and found herself in front of the mirror, pinning her hair up in a loose chignon at the nape of her neck. She produced from her belongings a tube of red lipstick, removing the cap and twisting it until the lipstick appeared. She raised it to her lips slowly but stopped, catching sight of her face in the mirror. She sighed dejectedly, putting the lipstick down on the dresser, whispering _what's the point?_

"What's the point?" Judy asked out loud, suddenly appearing in the room. She stood behind her with folded arms. "I think the point is that it will stop your face looking washed out from all of the whisky you had last night."

April smiled faintly, picking up the lipstick again and dabbing some onto her lips. "I suppose."

Judy clucked her tongue pensively. "So…."

April held up a hand, as though she knew what was Judy wanted to say. She shook her head firmly, not looking directly at her but instead at her reflection in the mirror. "Don't. Please."

Tight-lipped, Judy simply nodded, instead throwing down on the dresser a small pile of official documents. "Straight to work, then."

Amy put a hand on the documents. "What do you need?"

"Take these forms to the Batallion HQ downstairs," Judy explained. "Paperwork for our being here. Paperwork I asked you to take care of. Take them to Captain Nixon."

….

As it turned out, upon entering HQ she didn't have to search far nor wide for Captain Nixon. He was already there, perusing some documents whilst using his index finger along the page to aid the flow of his reading. Her stomach jumped slightly as she saw him, her cheeks flushing red. She had been far too honest last night and had revealed far too much.

He looked up as she approached, blinking at her once before smiling. "I didn't expect to see you today."

"Didn't think I'd surface?" She asked, joking lightly.

"Something like that," He said, clearing his throat.

She kept her voice low, not wanting the other staff bumbling around them to her too much. "About last night…. I apologise, Captain, for getting into such a state. It was very…."

"Hell, it was probably my fault after all," He shrugged absent-mindedly, looking down at her empty hands. "That why you came here? Just to apologise?"

"No, I came to bring you…," She looked down, surprised to find her hands empty. What an idiot. "Oh, I've forgotten the paperwork that I was supposed to bring."

Lewis opened his mouth to speak, but stopped suddenly at the sound of a soldier clearing his throat behind them. April turned round to see who had just interrupted them, her eyes growing slightly wide as she noticed that it was David.

David smiled lightly at her, before turning back to Lewis. "Captain Nixon?"

"Webster," Lewis nodded at him.

David leaned forward, handing out a sheet of paper. "Major Winters asked me to bring you this."

"Thanks," Lewis said, taking it from him, momentarily distracted in scanning it.

David turned to April, lowering his voice, still managing to emit notes of concern in it. "Are you alright? You left so suddenly yesterday."

"I'm…I'm fine," April replied distractedly, nervously scratching at her neck. "I'm sorry about last night…."

This quiet dialogue didn't fail to escape Lewis' attention, however, and, intrigued, he stole a few glances at the few people in front of him. His head cocked to one side slightly as he looked at April, who seemed to be blushing uncontrollably and twitching nervously in David's presence. So this was the man? This was the Easy Company soldier who'd stolen her affections back in Toccoa. Lewis found himself suddenly looking at David through jealous eyes, and just on the verge of telling him to leave when Judy burst through the doors of HQ, paperwork firmly in her hand. It took her but five seconds to spot all three of them before she sashayed confidently in her usual manner. She rolled her eyes at April first of all, waving the paperwork slightly.

"I swear," She tutted, but unable to stop herself shooting a slightly knowing glance at David as well. "April, your head has been firmly placed in the clouds since we arrived here."

April just nodded, looking down, unable to look at David. "I know. I forgot them."

"Good thing your boss is sharp as a tack," Judy sniggered slightly, turning her attention to Lewis. "I suppose these are for you, then."

"Thank you, Judy," Lewis said, taking them from her but still unable to stop himself looking at April and David.

Judy put a hand on her hip, continuing to stare amusedly at Lewis, inwardly hoping to stir some jealousy up in David and make him realise what he was missing out on with her protégée. "Still, I can't blame her for being distracted when you had her drinking into the early hours of this morning. Not that I blame you though, this girl's a catch."

April blushed, wishing that she could be anywhere but there.

Lewis held his hands up apologetically, smiling all the same. "Well when you're right, you're right, Ms Orr."

It was suddenly David's turn to have his interest piqued. April had spent the night drinking with Captain Nixon when she'd left him sitting by himself. He looked at her quizzically, but she simply looked away. He rubbed his chin pensively.

…..

_**July5th, 1945- Toccoa, Georgia**_

Mrs White stood on the platform, wringing her hands nervously as she waited. Her mind was racing with all sorts of thoughts and worries, making her stomach flop backwards and forwards. Suddenly, the sounds and sight of the train coming into the station snapped her back to reality. Her mouth was dry as she watched the train stop at the platform, followed by the noise of the doors opening. All of the other people waiting on the platform began to cry excitedly as their loved-ones disembarked one-by-one. Mrs White, on the contrary, nervously scanned the length of the train, not knowing which carriage she should be looking at. The throng of people around her seemed to multiply.

"Mom…," an all-too-familiar voice rung out behind her.

She took a moment before turning round. In that moment, she prayed to God that she would find her daughter healthy. Bracing herself, she slowly turned round to face Amy. Her daughter's face was the first thing that she saw, perfectly healthy looking. Relief flooded through her. It took only moments, however, for her to see that sadness etched on Amy's face, following her daughter's eyes as they looked down her body. Suddenly, Mrs White's eyes rested on something, rested on the reason why Amy had been sent home so suddenly. Shaking, she put a hand over her mouth, stifling a gasp. She regrouped, trying to stay positive for her daughter. "Oh, Sweetheart. It's not so bad…."

"Not so bad?" Amy echoed doubtfully, a single, fat tear dropping down her cheek.

Mrs White rushed forward to sweep her daughter into her arms, fiercely kissing her cheek and reassuring her that everything was going to be alright.

Amy struggled slightly to pull her head back, putting a stern hand on her mother's shoulder. She looked her mother square in the eye. "Mom, listen. I need you to promise me something."

"What, Sweetheart?" Mrs White asked, concern in her eyes.

Amy choked back a sob. "Please don't tell April. Not yet, anyway."

…


End file.
